


Surprises

by WingsofLight



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Language, M/M, Magic, Male/Male, Mpreg, No body changes, Oral Sex, magic pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:49:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 65,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26956855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WingsofLight/pseuds/WingsofLight
Summary: Another wip from FF.net.Yugi and Joey activate an Egyptian spell that causes Yugi to become pregnant with Seto's child. When he decides to keep the child, he comes to terms with just how much that one decision means.I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything affiliated with it. It is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Toei, Shueisha, Konami, etc. I make no money from writing these stories.
Relationships: Dragonshipping - Relationship, Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Yami Yuugi, Kaiba Seto/Mutou Yuugi, Rivalshipping
Comments: 15
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

“Hey, Yug’, what’s this stuff?”

Yugi glanced up from rearranging some board games to find Joey peering into the open box on the counter by the register. The box had arrived that afternoon, brought by one of his grandfather’s museum colleagues. Inside were two small statues, a broken urn, a metal amulet with a frog etched into it, a mirror, and a torn piece of papyrus, already sealed in lamination by the museum’s preservation technicians. The writing on the scrap of papyrus was something they couldn’t translate, and they’d wanted to see if Grandpa could. He was upstairs; poring over the scrap with a magnifying glass and a high-powered light. The rest had been left under Yugi’s observation while he set the shop open for business. When Yugi explained all of this, Joey peered in with interest.

“Bet Yami would know.”

“Maybe. Where is he?”

“Oh, your mom grabbed him, asked him to help her hang a big picture. There wasn’t anything I could do to help, so I came down here.”

Meaning he’d escaped before she could ask him to do anything else. Yugi finished with the shelf and straightened up, brushing his hands. “When he comes down, we’ll ask him. If Grandpa hasn’t already stopped him.” He walked over to the counter, opening the register to recount the money in the till.

“What do you suppose this is?” Joey asked, reaching into the box and withdrawing one of the two statuettes. He turned it over, then flushed. Yugi could see why; the statuette had a hippopotamus head, leonine legs, a crocodile’s tail--and large breasts and a pregnant belly. 

“Joey, maybe you shouldn’t touch those,” Yugi said gently, struggling not to laugh at Joey’s embarrassed expression, reaching out to take it from him and put it back in the box. “And that’s Tawaret, the--”

“Yow!”

Yugi felt it, too, a sharp electric tingle running through his fingers. Not exactly painful, but not pleasant either. He and Joey both jerked back instinctively at the same time, and the statuette slipped from their numbed hands. It hit the top of the counter with a clatter and Yugi gasped in horror. He quickly picked it up with his other hand, turning it over, inspecting the damage.

“Is it broken?” Joey asked, rubbing his stung fingers with his other hand.

“I… No, I don’t think so,” Yugi said with relief.

The statuette did appear to be chipped and scratched, but he was pretty sure that damage had happened long before they’d dropped it. It was a couple millennia old. He carefully returned it to the box, shaking his other hand. 

“Sorry, Yug’. Man, that was some static shock.”

Yugi nodded, flexing his fingers. The tingling numbness disappeared, but it had been quite the jolt. 

“Hello.”

It was Yami, entering the shop from the back storeroom, where the stairs from the apartment ended. He came over and peered into the box on the counter at Joey’s urging. Unlike Joey, he didn’t reach in and touch the artifacts; no doubt he knew their fragility and value. 

“Statues of Tawaret and Hathor, an amulet of Heket, items for making offerings… I would say this came from the home of a woman who made offerings to the god, praying for children. It may have come from Ta-nyt-netert, the central hub of Hathor’s followers.”

Joey grinned. Yugi knew he liked it when Yami spoke in his native tongue. Yami pronounced the old names with a fluency and a soft, natural accent Yugi couldn’t hope to mimic. Even Grandpa didn’t say the words like Yami did.

“That’s right. There’s a new city there, built by the Ptolemies, called Dandarah,” Yugi said. “But the Hathor temple’s been preserved. Grandpa’s working on the piece of papyrus translation in his room.”

“Bet you could translate it,” Joey said to Yami.

“Perhaps, though the dialect might be something I’m not familiar with. I’ll take a look later.”

Yami couldn’t, however, read the papyrus. It was from a time later than his own and the script seemed to have been melded from a mix of Egyptian hieroglyphs and Arabic naskhi. He could read only enough to determine that he’d been right; it appeared the contents of the box had been from the home of a woman unable to get pregnant and the papyrus was a prayer to Hathor to intervene. Grandpa thanked him and sealed the box back up to return to the museum. Yugi and Joey guiltily kept secret that they’d nearly broken the Tawaret statute.

******

After dinner, Yugi left the house and drove to the Kaiba mansion on the outskirts of Domino. Yami and Joey had already left and Grandpa’s colleague had come back to take the box; the pair had lapsed into a long-winded chat about modern excavation methods versus old-fashioned methods and Yugi had escaped as soon as possible.

Now he entered the code Seto had given him into the box in front of the gates and drove up the winding driveway and parked in the circular turnaround. His car was nothing fancy, especially compared to Seto’s limited edition Ferraris and Lamborghinis, but the ten-year-old Mazda was cheap and reliable and Yugi was pretty proud he’d bought it himself. Joey had amused him by buying him vanity license plates that read GAMEKNG. 

Yugi had a key to the mansion as well and he let himself in. He and Seto didn’t live together, but Yugi was there so often that a key had been necessary. Upstairs, he found Seto in his bedroom-slash-home-office, typing away at his laptop. Seto had so many rooms that he could have easily had a separate office from his master suite, but for all his wealth and technology, Seto was a relatively uncomplicated man. So his home office setup was in his suite’s sitting room.

“Hi, Seto,” Yugi said cheerfully when he walked in.

Seto glanced up briefly, then went back to typing. “Hello, Yugi.”

Yugi sat down sideways on the armrest of the couch facing the unlit fireplace and watched him type. After only about thirty seconds, he was fidgeting. He’d been feeling oddly energetic all evening and now that he was sitting silently in place, it was worse. 

Yugi got up and walked around the desk until he was standing behind Seto’s chair. Unlike the one in his office at the Kaiba Corp building, this one only came to about midway up his back. He could see Seto from the top of his head to a few inches below his shoulder blades and he found himself leaning over the backrest and wrapping his arms around Seto’s neck from behind. Seto’s typing paused.

“Yugi?”

Yugi breathed in the scent of Seto’s cologne, felt the broadness of his shoulders and the softness of his expensive pure-cotton shirt. He tilted his head and lightly kissed Seto’s ear, then started nibbling down his neck. For some reason, he’d felt very hot as soon as he’d wrapped his arms around Seto’s neck. He wanted it. Now.

“Yugi, what--”

“No protests,” Yugi murmured, before drawing his tongue slowly up Seto’s throat. He smiled as he felt him shift. 

“Yugi--”

“I want you, Seto,” Yugi whispered. He leaned further over the backrest, stretching up on his toes, and grabbed Seto’s crotch. The dark-haired man jumped, turning his head to say something else, but Yugi cut him off by pushing his head down with his other hand and kissing him hard. It was definitely awkward, but he didn’t care, sucking on Seto’s upper lip and rubbing with his right hand. He purred as he felt Seto’s cock harden under his touch, caught Seto’s bottom lip between his teeth, then withdrew. Sliding out from behind the chair, he walked towards the bedroom, lifting his shirt up over his head as he went and dropping it on the floor. Behind him, he could feel Seto’s eyes burning into the back of his head, but he didn’t look back. He entered the bedroom, opening the door only halfway before disappearing behind it and into the room.

Once in the room, Yugi stripped down to his boxers, then turned and sat down on the edge of the bed, sitting back on his hands. He didn’t have long to wait as Seto came into the room, pushing the door open all the way and standing there, staring in at him. Yugi made himself stay seated, even though lust was burning through his blood. God, he was *horny.*

Seto’s eyes traveled down his body, from the smile on his face to the tent in his boxers. He closed the door and walked over. Standing an inch from Yugi’s knees, arms at his sides, he stared down at him. Blue eyes narrowed. Then Seto turned and sat down on the bed beside him.

Yugi immediately stood up and bent down, catching Seto’s face between his hands and kissing him hungrily. Pushing his tongue into his mouth, he slid into his lap, straddling his thighs. Seto kissed him back, his hands running up his back, and Yugi moaned, grinding against him, pushing closer. Seto growled, reaching up to grab his biceps and push him back enough to look up into his face. But he didn’t question again, just shoved Yugi off and onto the bed, rolling over on top of him. He cupped his face with one hand and kissed him again. Yugi kissed him back, reaching up to begin pushing Seto’s shirt up. He ran his hands along his sides, feeling his hard abs beneath his fingers. He arched up into him, dragging his shirt up until Seto had to break the kiss and pull it over his arms. 

Yugi sat up, pushing Seto back and down. He slid down onto his knees between Seto’s thighs and reached for his belt and zipper. He freed his cock, Seto lifting up his hips to allow him to pull his pants down. Yugi bent, dragging his tongue up his erection. Seto moaned, his hips lifting up a bit. Yugi shivered, then pulled him slowly into his mouth. He stuffed one hand down his boxers, fisting himself urgently as he suckled at Seto’s erection, the lust overwhelming. Seto’s hands cupped his head and he moaned again, the sound sending Yugi’s pulse jumping. 

Drawing back before either of them could cum, Yugi climbed back up onto the bed and reached over to the night stand, reaching into the drawer for the lube. His erection was throbbing painfully and he wanted nothing more than to get off. He didn’t know why he was so damn hot, but he wasn’t about to stop and think.

Turning around, he saw that Seto had turned around and was sitting cross-legged on the bed, facing him. Yugi crawled over, kissing him as he poured some of the lube into his hand and wrapped his fingers around Seto’s cock. Seto kissed him back, tongue caressing his bottom lip and Yugi groaned, pulling back and climbing into his lap. He didn’t wait for preparation, just moved into position and slid down. That hurt, but he was too wound up to care. Seto hissed, his hands going to his hips and gripping tight, holding him in place.

“Yugi.”

“Don’t care,” Yugi groaned. He tried to move. “Please, Seto.”

Seto slowly released his hips and Yugi shifted, then raised himself up before sliding back down. A groan rumbled from his throat as he was filled again, the tip rubbing his prostate. Whimpering, he moved faster, hands braced against Seto’s shoulders. Seto growled and wrapped his arms around his waist, slowly moving forward to tilt Yugi down onto his back. Yugi wrapped his legs around his waist, crying out as Seto took over the thrusting, mouth sucking at one of his nipples. Yugi arched, his finger digging into Seto’s shoulders, the head of his cock nudging against Seto’s stomach. He reached down, grasping himself and stroking rapidly. Seto seemed to know he wasn’t looking for slow and he didn’t hold back, his thrusts fast and hard. 

“Nngh! Seto!”

Seto lifted his head and kissed him. Yugi kissed him back, but broke away quickly, rolling his head back, his back arching again on its own. He could feel his internal muscles clenching on Seto and heard his low growl in his ear. Gritting his teeth, he squeezed his eyes shut, feeling his end coming fast, the coil tightening and tightening in his belly. At last it unraveled and he screamed in pleasure as he came, hard. His seed spilled against his stomach, the pulses rippling along his nerves. Seto came right after him, squeezing him tightly. They relaxed slowly, panting for breath, Seto resting his forehead against the pillow next to Yugi’s ear. 

“Where… did that… come from?” Seto demanded, voice muffled.

“I don’t know,” Yugi admitted. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, rubbing his hand down Seto’s back. It felt good having Seto’s weight against him, pressing him into the mattress. 

Seto harrumphed and relaxed, shifting until he was lying full out, Yugi’s feet now even with his knees, his face nestled against Yugi’s neck. It was a little more difficult to breathe, but Yugi liked that, liked the heat and weight of him. It felt good. Really good.

“Seto…” he murmured.

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

******

Joey sighed as he finished putting away the cold groceries in the refrigerator. He and Yami had stopped at the store on the way home from Yugi’s and it had been a real pain in the ass. Joey was feeling unusually hyper and plodding along the aisles pushing a cart had nearly made him go berserk. Yami, who was almost always calm and collected, didn’t seem to have noticed. 

At that moment he was stretching to put a box of cereal on the shelf in the cabinet. Standing on his toes, his shirt was riding up, showing off some of his smooth back. Joey bit his lip, feeling the energy suddenly turn to lust. He stepped forward, reaching out to grab Yami’s arm and turn him around, before holding both biceps and pushing him back against the counter. Yami looked up at him, startled. But he parted his lips as Joey bent down and claimed them, kissing him deeply. When he drew back, Yami opened his eyes slowly and smiled. Joey grinned back.

“Forget the rest of it. Let’s go to bed.”

Yami smiled and let Joey take his hand and pull him down the hall to their bedroom. Joey closed the door and grabbed Yami’s hips, bending down to kiss him hungrily again, walking him backwards towards the bed. Yami crawled up onto it, the pair of them still kissing as Joey crawled up over him, pushing him down against the mattress and laying down on him. Yami wrapped his arms around his neck, kissing him back, opening his mouth to his tongue.

Joey finally drew back, then went to Yami’s neck, nipping the bare skin. Yami tilted his head to bare his throat further, sighing in pleasure. Joey slid his hands down Yami’s waist to his belt buckle while he sucked lightly on his neck, getting his pants undone. His own were too tight, his erection throbbing, but he ignored it for the moment, cupping Yami between the thighs, feeling the heat through the fabric of his boxers. Yami moaned, hands smoothing down Joey’s arms, before pulling up the hem of his shirt and gliding up his back. Joey growled, sitting up and ripping his shirt over his head, throwing it off the edge of the bed. Yami sat up, pulling his own shirt over his head and throwing it as well. Joey let his eyes roam down his smooth chest and taut belly and his cock throbbed even more viciously. 

Yami lay back down and arched his back to take his pants and boxers down to his knees, where Joey grabbed them and got them off the rest of the way, throwing them onto the floor. He rolled over and rid himself of his own, watching Yami get up and grab the lube from the bathroom. He grinned as Yami climbed into his lap when he came back, kissing him. He took the lube from him and set it to the side on the bed, running his hands down his back to cup his ass, laying down as Yami leaned against him. Yami broke the kiss and started down his neck, down his chest, but Joey found himself itching for release and he had no patience to be bottom. He sat up and grabbed Yami, rolling him roughly onto the bed and on top of him. Yami grunted, glared, but didn’t protest, only shifting into a more comfortable position as Joey sat up for the lube.

Unscrewing the top and pouring some on his fingers, he slid his hand between Yami’s thighs and found his entrance. Yami sighed and closed his eyes as Joey slid his fingers into him, stretching him carefully despite his almost overpowering need. 

Withdrawing his fingers, he pulled Yami up and turned him around, placing him on his hands and knees. Yami looked at him over his shoulder, dark eyes half-lidded. That sultry look made Joey throb and he hurried to lube up and slide in, groaning with relief. Yami moaned, spreading his legs a little more and bracing as Joey began to thrust. He held onto his hips and pounded into him, unwilling to take it slow. Yami cried out, his hands pressing against the mattress, fingers digging into the sheets, his muscles clenching on Joey deliciously.

“Oh, god, Yami,” Joey groaned, feeling his end rushing up to him. Too fast, but he couldn’t stop it.

He reached under Yami and grabbed his neglected erection, squeezing and stroking it roughly. Yami’s back arched beautifully, his head tossing back in pleasure. Joey growled, leaning forward over him and kissing his ear, relieved when Yami came quickly, eagerly following suit. As he slid out of him, Yami turned and lay down on his side. Joey sighed and laid down, facing him, reaching out and grabbing one of his hands, holding it with his. Yami smiled at him sleepily. Joey leaned in and kissed him lightly, then frowned and kissed him again, harder. 

Yami grunted in surprise as Joey rolled on top of him again.

******

Yugi let his breath out, flopping down onto the bed and relaxing slowly. He was exhausted, feeling boneless. Seto lay down beside him with a grunt, looking equally tired. 

“Are you finally satisfied?” he grumbled. 

Yugi nodded, pulling the comforter further up his chest. He was so sore, but felt great. Closing his eyes, he drifted off to sleep, wondering where all that strange lust had come from. Even finally satisfied an hour later, he still felt different. It was weird.

tbc...


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two:

Yugi whimpered as the nausea overwhelmed him again, turning to the toilet just in time. As the latest wave passed, he slumped back against the side of the tub, feeling miserable. His face felt flushed yet clammy, his stomach touch-and-go, and his throat burned. His mouth tasted awful and he raised the cup of water with a shaky hand, rinsing his mouth and flushing the toilet. He’d been in there all morning, since shortly after breakfast, at first just terribly nauseous and then finally vomiting. Whatever hadn’t agreed with him was letting its dissent be known with a vengeance. 

Yugi looked up as the bathroom door was opened. Seto frowned at him, setting his briefcase on the counter.

“Again?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s the third time this week already. Did you go to the doctor like I told you to?”

Yugi shook his head. “It’s just a bug or something. It’ll pass.”

“It hasn’t passed in over two weeks,” Seto said tightly. “You’ve been puking your guts up almost every day. Go to the doctor!”

Yugi managed a smile. “Ok. I’ll make an appointment--”

“See my doctor. No appointment, just see him.”

“Ok.”

Seto grabbed a washrag and ran it under the cold tap, then knelt and wiped Yugi’s sweaty forehead gently. 

“Thanks,” Yugi said, closing his eyes. “I feel better right now. You know, except for throwing up, I’ve felt fine.”

“Hn.”

Yugi opened his eyes and reached up for the washrag. “I’ve got it. Why don’t you go? You’re not going to want to stick around if I get sick again.”

Seto’s eyes studied his face, then he got up and picked up his briefcase. “You should get in bed. I’ll have someone bring up some chicken broth and crackers later.”

Yugi winced at the thought of food, but he nodded. Seto left the bathroom and Yugi sighed, closing his eyes. He didn’t know what was wrong with him. He’d been getting sick to his stomach often in the last few weeks, but he didn’t actually feel sick. Tired and nauseous, but without the aches and fever typically associated with illness. And for all his throwing up, he’d actually put on a couple of pounds. He wouldn’t have noticed except he hadn’t had any weight changes at all since high school. And it was strange to put on weight during a bout of illness. He’d go to Seto’s physician and see what the problem was. He was sure it was just something he’d never had before, like mono. Treatable and not serious.

A few minutes later, he felt somewhat better, so he got to his feet, put the washrag in the hamper, and washed his face and brushed his teeth twice. He left the bathroom and went into a guest room, then crawled into the bed. Despite the continued nauseous feeling, he fell asleep, awakened by Seto coming into the room.

“There you are. Why are you in here?”

Yugi yawned, shifting a little. Now he felt more tired than anything, another common feature of whatever sickness he had. He’d been sleeping a lot more than normal, often even during the middle of the day. 

“I don’t want to get you sick by sharing your bed. I’ll sleep in here and go home later.”

“I already called Dr. Kuribayashi. He’ll see you this afternoon at three.”

Yugi glanced at the alarm clock. A quarter past one. Typical Seto to bully through and make sure what he wanted happened. However, Seto’s doctor came to the mansion so he didn’t have to get out of bed right away. There was an actual doctor’s exam room downstairs in what would have been a basement in a normal house. The Kaiba family doctor had been on the payroll since before Seto had ever been born and Gozaburo had been extremely paranoid and pretentious, making the doctor come to the mansion that was outfitted to withstand a siege. When Seto had taken over, he hadn’t stopped the convenient, if ridiculous, practice.

“Ok. Three. It’ll be nothing, Seto.”

Seto grunted, then picked up the alarm clock and set it for twenty til. “Get some more rest. I’ll be heading back to Kaiba Corp in about fifteen minutes, but I’ll be home by six, if you want to stay for dinner.”

Yugi smiled. Like what had been occurring all week, he was now getting hungry again. He’d probably be wanting to eat by the time Seto got home and hopefully would keep it down. 

“Ok. See you then.”

Seto left and Yugi drifted back to sleep.

At three, he was sitting in the exam room, on one of the exam tables covered with paper, just like at a regular doctor’s office. Thankfully without the backless paper dress. The doctor was a man in his mid-fifties, thin, and with a full head of salt-and-pepper hair. He was a very kind man, with a soft voice and clear gray eyes.

“Well, Yugi, what have you been experiencing lately?”

Yugi told him and the doctor agreed that it was strange he’d gained weight rather than losing it. He went through all of the usual check up procedures, from blood pressure and checking Yugi’s eyes and ears, to feeling his throat and listening to his heart and lungs, to taking samples of Yugi’s blood and urine. Once everything was finished, he was stymied, but optimistic.

“You seem to be in perfect health at first glance,” he said. “So we’ll get these samples analyzed and get back to you within a couple of days.”

Yugi hesitated as he slid off the table. “Do you think it could be something serious?”

Dr. Kuribayashi smiled kindly. “We can’t rule anything out, but no, I don’t think so. You said despite your nausea that you’ve been eating a little more than usual. It’s possible you have a thyroid problem. That would account for both the fatigue and the weight gain. You might have low iron, which would also explain the fatigue if not the weight gain. Neither would explain the nausea, but that’s not alarming in of itself. This could be a combination of small things. Don’t worry too much, Yugi, until we know more.”

Yugi thanked him and saw him out. It was now almost four and Mokuba was home from school. Yugi went to say hi and ended up spending an amusing hour playing a videogame with him. Yugi won, which sort of annoyed Mokuba, as he’d had the game for months and it was Yugi’s first try. Then Seto got home and Yugi went to greet him, filling him in on what the doctor had had to say. He’d been feeling fine all afternoon, so he stayed for dinner and indeed found himself eating a bit more than usual, but without any adverse side effects.

After dinner, he went home. He’d spent the previous two nights at the mansion and decided it was time to go home and spend time with his family. 

******

A few days later, Dr. Kuribayashi called him at home, as they’d arranged. He had both good and bad news for Yugi. There were no signs of thyroid or blood related problems, but he also didn’t know what could be causing Yugi’s nausea and fatigue. As there seemed to be no real pattern in the time of day or types of food Yugi was eating, it had to be something internal. But he remained optimistic that it was nothing serious.

“What do we do now?” Yugi asked.

“Well, the only real courses now are more invasive. We’re still analyzing the samples for more uncommon viruses, but when those have been exhausted and nothing as turned up, assuming you’re still experiencing the fatigue and nausea, what’s left might involve X-rays, endoscope cameras, and explorative surgery.”

“Surgery?”

“By far the last resort, and only if your symptoms become dangerous to your health. Which they aren’t. Not fun, I’m sure, but not dangerous yet, so surgery isn’t an option at this moment. Even for all of our medical advances, surgery of any kind of very dangerous and most doctors wouldn’t even consider it unless it became necessary. I’m just telling you all options, should they come up. At the moment, I would suggest attempting to keep a detailed log of what you eat and when you’re nauseous, any other symptoms you experience, and maybe we’ll find out some sort of common denominator. Allergies can be developed, even after childhood. We’ll run more tests on the samples you gave us, and go from there.”

“What about…”

“Yes?”

“Something like…cancer.”

“Yugi, I want to make it very clear that you shouldn’t be worrying too much at this early stage. Let us continue the tests, get more information, and rule out the more simple things first.”

Yugi swallowed and nodded into the phone. “Okay.”

“Okay? Don’t stress yourself about this.”

Yugi hung up the phone. He’d told Dr. Kuribayashi that he wouldn’t worry, but how could he not? Now that the idea of cancer was in his mind, it festered there, a malignancy on its own.

He suddenly needed to get out of the house. Seto would be working and Mokuba was at school, so the manor would be just as bad. Joey would be working too, but Yami might be home. Yugi grabbed his keys and wallet and went to his car. Yami answered when he knocked on his soul room door and was happy to invite Yugi over.

Once Yugi got there, Yami had tea ready and they sat outside on the porch of the apartment, watching city traffic move below. After the customary catching up, Yugi brought up the reason for his visit.

“I didn’t know you’ve been sick,” Yami said with concern and a touch of guilt.

“I’ve been hiding it,” Yugi admitted. “It never seemed like a big deal and I didn’t want to make you listen in every time I puked.”

“It might still not be a big deal,” Yami said.

“I know.”

“When will you know more?”

“Dr. Kuribayashi didn’t say. He just wanted to do more blood tests first. After that, I guess he’ll take X-rays.”

Yami patted Yugi’s arm. They sat in silence for a bit until Joey got home. He was happy to see Yugi until Yugi filled him in on what he’d told Yami. He joined them in the living room where they’d relocated and sat on the couch with Yami, looking uncomfortable. 

“It’s probably nothing,” he said. 

“I know.”

“You just need to relax.”

“I know.”

“Wait on the doctor. It’ll be fine.”

“I know!” Yugi snapped. “I got it, Joey.”

Yami frowned at him, but it was Joey’s look of hurt that made Yugi’s sudden irritation burn out. He didn’t know why he’d snapped at Joey; he’d just suddenly felt very annoyed with his constant reassurances. But now that he saw that look on Joey’s face, he instantly felt bad.

“I’m sorry, Joey.”

“Nah, no big. It’s ok, pal.” Joey smiled. 

Yugi sighed and rubbed his hand across his eyes. Stretching, he yawned.

“Tired?” Joey asked.

“Yeah. I’ve been sleeping a lot too.”

Yami and Joey exchanged worried glances. Yugi pretended he didn’t notice. 

“Do you want to take a nap here, Yug’?” Joey asked.

Yugi flushed, but the truth was, he did want a nap. He’d taken one in the middle of the day yesterday, too, as well as the day of his appointment with Dr. Kuribayashi. But no matter how worried he was about what all this could mean, he couldn’t deny how tired he was. There was no point in fighting it; he might only make himself worse.

Yami got him a pillow and a blanket from a closet and Yugi stretched out on the couch. Then he remembered that Joey and Yami were supposed to have gone out that night. They typically had a date night on Fridays, but when he mentioned this, they both shrugged it off.

“No big, Yug’,” Joey said. “We’ll just make something here. Maybe by the time we’re done, you’ll be awake and hungry.”

“But sleep as long as you need to,” Yami added.

“Yeah,” Joey agreed.

Knowing that they wouldn’t continue with their date even if he insisted on leaving, Yugi gave in and relaxed. Yami and Joey headed into the kitchen where Yugi could hear them rattling around, getting ready to make dinner. Despite his exhaustion, he couldn’t fall asleep. It wasn’t the noise, the unfamiliar couch, or even his worries. This time he just seemed to have insomnia.

After a bit, the noise in the kitchen had subsided and replaced with their voices talking softly. Yami’s voice became upset and Joey’s turned consoling. Yugi knew that they were talking about him and he slid off the couch and walked over to the kitchen doorway, peering inside. Yami was sitting at the table, his arms folded on the top and his face buried in them. Joey was leaning over him, hands on his shoulders, speaking in his ear. He was trying to offer the same reassurances he’d given Yugi.

Yugi slipped back and returned to the couch, laying down again. He still felt exhausted and he wondered how much he’d be able to sleep over the new few days, until he heard more from the doctor. But despite his worries, he eventually did fall asleep.

When Yugi woke, the air was redolent with the delicious smells of hamburgers and fries. He suspected Yami and Joey had intentionally cooked his favorite food.

He got up and washed his face and hands in the bathroom before going to find them in the kitchen. His nap hadn’t even lasted an hour, so he woke still feeling foggy and grainy-eyed, but the smell of frying meat was quickly revitalizing him. In the kitchen he found Joey sliding four thick burger patties out of a massive frying pan onto a plate while Yami chopped tomatoes, onions, and pickles on a cutting board. Slices of cheddar and swiss cheese and bottles of mustard and ketchup already stood waiting. A basket of French fries was draining on a paper towel and bacon was sizzling in a second, smaller skillet. 

Yugi walked to a cabinet and began pulling out plates and glasses. Grabbing some flatware out of a drawer, he set the island counter which was lined with four stools, helped to transfer some of the plates of food, and grabbed the pitcher of fresh-made lemonade out of the refrigerator. He was a big fan of American junk-food and Joey and Yami had clearly went out of their way to make it.

They sat down to eat, and Yugi picked up his burger, taking a big bite. It was delicious, and the fries were crisp and greasy. He hadn’t had a burger and fries in a long time.

They started talking about Joey’s job as a radio host. The job had come out of nowhere a month ago when the owner of a local radio station had patronized the restaurant were Joey worked as a waiter. His primetime DJ had just quit to move to a bigger station in Tokyo and he remembered Joey from his publicized Duel Monsters tournaments. He’d told Joey that his energy and self-confidence was just what he needed, and offered Joey the job on the spot, which paid a bit more than his job as a waiter and was a lot more fun, so Joey had taken him up on it, and now DJ’d from eleven to six Tuesdays through Fridays and from seven at night to one in the morning on Saturdays. He had a blast doing it. 

It was halfway through his burger that Yugi’s stomach suddenly rebelled. He set the burger down, stilling and tightening his throat, willing himself not to throw up. Yami and Joey both noticed his change in behavior and stopped talking, looking at him in concern.

“Aibou, are you okay?”

For a moment, Yugi didn’t answer, concentrating hard on making his stomach obey. But suddenly the smells of grease and onion seemed overwhelming and his stomach heaved. He shook his head rapidly and jumped off the stool, running into the bathroom. What little of the burger and fries he’d eaten came back, leaving Yugi choking and coughing.

Joey and Yami came into the bathroom as Yugi’s heaving ended when there was nothing left to bring up, standing awkwardly in the doorway. Yugi spat and flushed the toilet, settling back on his heels. Yami squatted beside him and put his hand on his shoulder. He was holding a glass of water in his other hand and Yugi gratefully accepted it, rinsing his mouth. He was so tired of throwing up.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Damn, Yug’.”

Yugi glanced up. Joey was looking at him sympathetically. 

“Sorry, pal. I didn’t think my cooking was that bad.”

Yugi gaped at him, then starting laughing. Though his stomach was still feeling queasy, he actually felt a bit better, and Joey’s joke had helped release some of the tension. He rinsed his mouth thoroughly again, then climbed to his feet. He went with them out of the bathroom, returning the glass to the kitchen and putting it in the sink. He was dismayed to find that the smells in the kitchen still seemed over powerful and his stomach roiled. He told them this, and the three of them went outside so Yugi could get some fresh air.

“I’m sorry, guys.”

“Don’t apologize, Aibou.”

“I think I’m going to go home.”

“Do you need us to drive you?”

“No. I’m just nauseous, I can make it.”

“The doc really has no idea yet?” Joey asked.

“No.”

“Then maybe you can try to find out.”

“What?” 

“Well, you know, online. There’s that website that supposed to tell you what you’ve got, right?”

“I think the doctor would know better than a website,” Yami said.

“Yeah, I’m not saying use the website instead. I’m just saying, maybe it’ll help Kuribayashi find out what’s wrong with ya. You know, put in all your symptoms and see what it says, and then talk to him about it. Couldn’t hurt, right?”

Yugi nodded thoughtfully. It might help to go to Dr. Kuribayashi with some ideas, if nothing else. Maybe the doctor could rule stuff out right away, knowing exactly what disease was what from the list, and narrow it down faster. At the least, Joey was right, it couldn’t hurt.

“I’ll do that. Seto’s got a computer at the mansion.”

Yugi had been with Seto so long that Joey didn’t even make a face at the mention of his name. They said goodbye, their good time ruined though it was no one’s fault, and Yugi got into his car, heading on to the mansion. Seto still wasn’t home, and there was a note on the side table from Mokuba that he’d gone out. Yugi headed up to Seto’s office, turning on his computer. Seto’s private stuff was locked under his master account, but he’d set up a guest account for Yugi to use and Yugi logged in to that, calling up the medical diagnosing site that Joey had mentioned. He considered all of his symptoms and typed them in, then hit the diagnose button. This might be a waste of time, but it was something to do, and might give him at least an idea of what he might be facing.

The website finished analyzing his symptoms and displayed the most likely result. Yugi stared at it. More of the tension and anger he’d felt over having his dinner with his friends ruined by his frail stomach evaporated and he started laughing.

The website had returned his most likely result, and told him he was pregnant. 

tbc...


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three:

“It really said you were pregnant?” Joey asked.

Yugi nodded, sipping his tea. Joey grinned, taking a big bite of his banana pocky. Yami smiled, pouring more tea for himself.

“I don’t think your suggestion was that helpful, Joey,” he said teasingly.

“Nope, don’t think so,” Joey agreed. 

Yugi pulled a banana pocky out of the carton and took a bite. He’d been feeling better the last couple of days, though better only meant not puking. He’d been keeping the journal of what made him sick for the doctor and the only correlation he could see was that whatever was wrong with him didn’t like him eating. Almost nothing seemed to be okay for him, from beef to fish to onions to eggs, pretty much everything made him at least nauseous. The only thing that seemed to help was the old standby of ginger ale, though he had noticed he didn’t seem to feel as sick when he ate dairy or fruits. So for the past few days he’d been sticking to mainly milk, yogurt, and fruit. 

He was disconcerted with the fact that despite his near-daily nausea and sparse diet, he’d gained slightly over a pound since he’d first talked with Dr. Kuribayashi a week ago. 

“So, what’s the next step, Yugi?” Joey asked.

Yugi swallowed and said, “Dr. Kuribayashi is supposed to get back to me tomorrow with scheduling the latest battery of tests. The tests for blood disorders have all come up negative. If he can’t find anything this time, I think he’ll make an appointment for an X-ray or something.”

“Nothing’s gotten any better?”

“No. Still sick almost every morning and I can’t find something in common for an allergy. It doesn’t sound like an allergy anyway. Allergies make it hard to breathe, not make you throw up.”

“No,” Yami agreed somberly.

“It kinda sounds like morning sickness,” Joey said off-handedly.

Yugi and Yami both stared at him. He realized and flushed.

“Well, it does,” he said defensively.

Yugi chuckled. “I think you’re stuck on the website’s diagnosis, Joey.” 

“Look, whatever it is, they’ll find out, Yug’.”

Yugi nodded. He took another sip of tea, just glad for a snack that didn’t make his stomach turn over, though he made sure not to eat too much. He changed the subject to movies and they spent the rest of the afternoon talking about the latest releases. When Yugi got home to the mansion later, Seto was already home, just sitting down to an early dinner. Yugi greeted him with a kiss and joined him at the table. Mokuba was not there, but the fifteen-year-old had been spending a lot more time out with friends than he used to.

“How do you feel?” Seto asked, looking at his plate.

Yugi smiled. Seto could be sweet if he didn’t have to look you in the eye. “Better, today. I think I’ve at least figured out some foods that I can keep down, until Kuribyashi figures out what the problem is.”

Seto frowned, cutting his steak. “I would have thought he would know by now.”

“Don’t blame him. There’s nothing I can tell him to help. He’s working blind, pretty much.”

Seto’s frown didn’t ease, but he didn’t say anything more. Yugi stayed with him at the table, but he avoided the steak. He knew the heavy red meat would only trigger another session with the toilet. Instead, he sparingly ate some salad and potatoes. Once dinner was over, his stomach still mercifully quiet, Yugi curled up on the sofa in the den and watched a movie while Seto did whatever he usually did on weekday nights. Mokuba came home around ten and joined Yugi in the den, watching the last fifteen minutes of the movie. After that, Yugi relinquished control of the t.v. for Mokuba’s favorite show, some stupid American cartoon Yugi loathed, and trotted upstairs for a shower. Then, fresh from the hot water, content and sleepy, he crawled into bed.

******

When Yugi woke the next morning, Seto was in bed with him. Often during the week, when Yugi was staying over, Seto would not come to bed until Yugi was already asleep, as he’d done last night, but would also be gone by the time Yugi woke up. To have him still sleeping beside him that morning a pleasant surprise. Taking the opportunity, he happily leaned over and kissed Seto’s cheek. Seto, a light sleeper, stirred and opened his eyes.

“Morning,” Yugi said.

Seto turned over onto his side to face him. Yugi smiled, inching closer again and pecking his lips. Seto smiled a little and reached over, cupping Yugi’s uppermost cheek, leaning over. Yugi closed his eyes in bliss as Seto initiated a deeper kiss. He parted his lips and Seto’s tongue delved inside. Yugi eagerly pushed closer. They had not been intimate in a couple weeks and he was ready for an early morning tumble.

His stomach soured. It was a minor thing, almost lost in the haze of lust, and he tried to ignore it, but as Seto pulled him on top of him, his hands wandering pleasurably along his back over his pajama shirt, the feeling intensified. Yugi broke the kiss, swallowing hard. Seto frowned up at him.

“Yugi?”

Yugi’s stomach lurched. He rolled off of Seto and staggered off the bed, running for the bathroom. Having had nothing to eat since the sparse dinner the previous night, there was nothing to bring up, and he only dry-heaved. His stomach roiled with nausea, but at last he stopped heaving, the muscles of his abdomen and throat aching. When he finally slumped back against the tub, he began to cry.

This was so unfair! Whatever was wrong with him was interfering with his life so much that he couldn’t have dinner with his friends or even be intimate with his lover. 

“Don’t do that,” Seto said. He’d followed him into the bathroom. 

“I can’t help it!” Yugi snapped. “I know crying is for weak to you, Seto, but I guess I’m just weak!”

Seto looked surprised. Yugi glared at him through the shimmering tears, his stomach still twisting. Seto’s surprise turned to coldness.

“Don’t talk to me like that.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Yugi snarled. “Sorry that my crying is annoying to you!” 

He slammed the toilet seat lid down so hard it bounced up again. Yugi hit it again in mid-fall and smashed it down with more force than gravity. The twin thuds echoed within the bathroom. Yugi shoved himself to his feet, still shouting at Seto.

“You’ll probably want to stay away from me for a while, then, because I’ll bet I’ll be crying all over the place since I can’t keep a single damn thing down anymore! But don’t let that bother you!”

“Yugi, stop it.”

Yugi knew deep down he was being stupid, but he couldn’t help it. All of his anger and frustration had turned on Seto and he couldn’t contain it. He knew it was irrational, but it still felt good to unleash some of the feelings. He pushed past Seto, who didn’t try to stop him, though he could have easily done so. 

“Maybe I’d better just stay at home the next few days,” Yugi said, with a softer tone but with no less anger. 

“Maybe you should,” Seto said coldly.

Yugi’s stomach roiled again and he stalked out of the room with an abnormal amount of cursing. After dressing, he burned a path through the manor, making two maids hurry out of his way and the butler hesitate to get the door for him. He stomped down the stairs to his car still parked in the circular, wrenched the door open only to yank it shut, then froze. He let out a shaking breath, then burst into tears. Why had he shouted at Seto like that? It wasn’t his fault. He’d been horrible to him!

Yugi managed to calm down enough to put the key in the ignition and drive out of the gates, but he still felt miserable. He wanted to go back and apologize, but Seto would be too mad to see him, he was sure about that. Seto would be rightfully indignant at getting chewed out for something he hadn’t been responsible for and Yugi didn’t dare approach him right then. 

Once he was back at the Moto family apartment, he parked before the shop, turned off the ignition, and hit the wheel with his hand. Why, why, why was this happening to him? What was it? Could it be cured? Why couldn’t the doctor find out anything?

Yugi felt another burst of anger, this time directed at Dr. Kuribayashi, and he was horrified. His emotions seemed out of control. One minute he was raging, the next he was crying. Could it be part of whatever was wrong with him? But what brought about nausea, vomiting, weight gain, exhaustion, and irrational emotions all at the same time?

Yugi suddenly remembered the diagnosis the computer had given him. Joey had said it sounded like he was having morning sickness, and now he was having mood swings. The computer had told him all of his symptoms combined meant he was pregnant.

Yugi scoffed and scrubbed his face vigorously with his hands. ‘Get a hold of yourself, Yugi,’ he admonished himself. ‘Listen to yourself, you sound incredibly stupid. You’re a boy, damn it! That alone makes it impossible. Does this illness mean you become a complete moron?’

Suddenly somber, Yugi dropped his hands. Could whatever disease or illness or condition he’d suddenly been experiencing be affecting his mind? Maybe that explained his vomiting and his mood swings both. He’d heard of things like tumors pressing into the brain and making things like impulse control go haywire. It could probably bring about vomiting, too. But shouldn’t he be getting headaches, maybe blurred vision? And why would a tumor explain weight gain? He’d put on nearly three pounds in the near month since he’d started vomiting. Surely if he had a brain tumor that was three pounds in weight, he would have noticed! 

But maybe not. That would be something to mention to Kuribayashi. Though surely the doctor would have thought of that himself. 

‘Think about it,’ Yugi thought. ‘Come on, help the doctor find a diagnosis. Ok, weight gain, vomiting, fatigue… weight gain, vomiting, fatigue… mood swings? Damn it, Joey’s right, it sounds like morning sickness! No, stop it, that’s stupid. You’re a boy, you have a damn penis!’

Yugi began to giggle and found he couldn’t stop. He sat in the car, both hands pressed over his mouth, giggling so long his already-sore abdominal muscles began to protest again. At last he managed to contain himself and straighten up, somber again. 

Everything kept coming back to that. It was true that it made a sort of sense… except for the fact he was a man. He might be small and slender and delicate-featured, but he was a man. 

Surely there had to be another explanation than a pregnancy. So all of the symptoms matched that way and not in any other idea that he could think of, but he didn’t have a medical degree. Dr. Kuribayashi would find something, he just had to be patient. 

‘Nausea, mood swings, fatigue, weight gain… Come on, Yugi, think. It’s not an allergy, it’s not a blood disorder, it’s not a thyroid problem… Just put all the symptoms together and you get…’

Pregnancy.

Yugi groaned and covered his face again. Within the darkness behind his closed eyelids, he tried to think more rationally. There was no way he could be pregnant, after all.

The picture of a statue suddenly came into his mind, of a fat hippopotamus/crocodile/lion. The statue of Tawaret, the Egyptian goddess of fertility. She made pregnancy possible.

‘In women,’ Yugi reminded himself.

But the image would not go away. It was magic, after all. Women had prayed to the statue to allow them to get pregnant.

‘That doesn’t mean it works. People prayed to a lot of stuff. That’s doesn’t make them real.”

But magic was real, especially Egyptian magic. Was it possible this one was real, that it worked? 

‘You’re still a boy,’ Yugi told himself; but he was aware that his arguments seemed to be feebler, less certain. “A boy.’

Would a magic statue know the difference? A spell was a spell, it wasn’t a conscious entity. Maybe the statue ensured the handler was able to get pregnant, regardless of impossibilities. Magic made a lot of the impossible possible.

‘So a magic statue can make a man pregnant, just like a woman? That’s stupid.’

Maybe so, but the idea, once in his head, refused to go away. Yugi sincerely thought he was being foolish, that whatever was wrong with him was causing these irrational thoughts, just like the irrational mood swings. And yet, he could not shake the subconscious worry that the statue was real. He remembered the maddening feeling he’d had that night, the restless energy, that had so swiftly turned to an undeniable need for sex the minute he’d laid eyes on Seto. He’d never been so horny in his life, not even with a gorgeous and thoroughly satisfying lover like Seto Kaiba.

‘Fine,’ he thought angrily.

He grabbed the keys still in the ignition and twisted them, restarting his car. He pulled away from the curb with a screech and headed for the drug store a block over. Pulling into a space in the lot, he cut the engine and got out, heading into the drug store and down to the feminine health aisle. He felt his cheeks beginning to burn and he scanned the shelves of tampons and other such things with mortification. At last he found the pregnancy tests.

“You’re crazy,” he muttered as he grabbed one. He didn’t know one from the others, but they all had to do the same thing.

At the checkout counter, his face burned even more as he set the item down. The clerk, a woman, didn’t really seem to think it odd a man was buying the test. Maybe some husbands did it for their wives. 

“Are you hoping yes or no?” she asked with a friendly smile, overly curious, but with innocent intentions. 

“No,” Yugi squeaked, thinking of himself and realizing what she had actually meant too late.

Her smile faded. “Oh. Well, I hope it’s no then. That’s $12.96.”

Yugi gave her a twenty, got his change and the bag, and fled the store. At least she hadn’t recognized him. He’d rather not have been in the gossip papers for having bought a pregnancy test. Now that Duel Monsters was all but officially over, Yugi’s popularity was dwindling, which suited him just fine. Especially in situations like this. 

He was shaking by the time he got into the car. He left the lot, not looking at the bag in the passenger seat, wondering where to go. He didn’t want to return to the game shop. His mother would be home and even if he got the test past her and into the bathroom, he didn’t want to risk her seeing him attempting to dispose of it. At the same time, he didn’t want to return to the mansion. He and Seto were on rocky ground right now and Yugi didn’t want to compound the problem with Seto seeing the test. He’d think he was acting crazy. And the only other friendly place was Yami and Joey’s apartment, and that was no refuge either.

He needed to do this before he lost his nerve. He’d get the test over, prove his stupid hunch wrong so he could move on, and then call Dr. Kuribayashi about a tumor. 

The mansion, then. Seto probably would have gone to work and Mokuba was in school. The staff would ignore him until he asked for something and there was a lot less chance of someone seeing the bag.

Yugi drove back to the mansion, and once there, grabbed the bag and hurried inside. He walked briskly up to the third floor and to the private bathroom off the main suite. He shut the door, locked it, and then leaned against it, eyes closed. This was ludicrous. But the worry wouldn’t go away. The memory of the strange, itchy feeling that had accompanied needing Seto so badly it had hurt kept cropping up in his mind.

‘Just get it over with,’ he told himself sternly. ‘Prove yourself wrong.’

He pushed away from the door and walked to the counter, setting the bag down. He pulled out the pregnancy test, ripped open the box, and slid out the white stick with a test strip on one end and a little blank window on the other. He pulled out the instructions and read them, then turned to the door and made sure it was locked. The mansion had security cameras in the halls, foyer, and public rooms, but none in the bedrooms or bathrooms. No one could see him. But he felt watched. The typical guilty, paranoid feeling of doing something you wanted no one to know about.

He hesitated, then went to the toilet, pulled up the lid and seat, and then unzipped his fly. He grabbed the test in one hand and the instructions in the other. He reread them. Pee for a few seconds, then hold the stick in the stream test strip downward.

Yugi made a face, then looked at the door again. Taking a deep breath as if he was fortifying himself, he tossed the instructions down and pulled down his underwear.

A minute later, he was setting the stick down on the counter atop a wad of tissues and picking up the instructions again. He had to wait fifteen minutes and then read the symbols in the little window. He looked down at the test. Fifteen minutes. 

His stomach rolled. Yugi winced, dropping the instructions on the floor, and grabbed the counter. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, taking deep breaths, willing the nausea away. There was nothing in his stomach, so he wasn’t going to throw up, but the nauseous feeling was almost as bad. When this was over, he’d have to get something to eat and hope it stayed down. 

The fifteen minutes seemed to pass three times as long as they should have. He refused to look at the test, though he read the instructions once more to make absolutely sure he understood them.

At last the minute hand on the clock had moved fifteen marks. With another deep and fortifying breath, wondering again if he was crazy, Yugi turned to the test.

And couldn’t pick it up. No, this was stupid, beyond stupid, it was scarily insane. He couldn’t possibly be pregnant, statue or not. Even if the statue worked, even if he’d felt unbearably horny after touching it, it was impossible. 

Yugi grabbed up the wastebasket and swept the lot--test, instructions, wrapping, box--into the trash, dumping the basket back on the floor beside the toilet. He grabbed some tissues and balled them up, smashing them down on top of the offending items to make sure they were hidden from view. Then, heart hammering, he unlocked the door and left the bathroom, walking across Seto’s expansive bedroom to the phone on the side table. He picked up the handset and sat down on the edge of the bed, dialing Dr. Kuribayashi’s number. He would tell him his theory about a tumor and see what he said.

Yugi shuddered. The idea of something inside his skull, pushing on his brain, causing him to act so strangely--well, strange from the norm--and which might later cause worse thoughts and behavior, was so frightening that he felt frozen, unable to think. Still, there was also some measure of relief. He had something to consider now. Dr. Kuribayashi could X-ray his head and if a tumor was found, at least there would be something concrete, an enemy they would at last know and be able to start fighting.

He dialed the number. The phone rang twice, before it was picked up by a receptionist. Dr. Kuribayashi, though a private doctor, did not service only the Kaiba family and he was out. Frustrated, Yugi managed to keep his calm and requested that the doctor call him as soon as possible. After assuring the receptionist that his symptoms had not worsened, nor had any others cropped up, Yugi hung up. 

He glanced at the clock, shocked to see that it was still only a little before eleven. It felt like hours had passed since he’d woken with Seto at nine.

Yugi got up and headed down to the kitchen. The daytime cook was happy to get him some food and she sent him off to the conservatory with a big plate laden with fresh sliced watermelon, a bunch of grapes, cottage cheese, celery, crackers, and Swiss cheese. Holding a big glass of tea in his other hand, he managed to maneuver the door open and enter the conservatory. It was a huge room stuffed with plants. Ficus trees, potted palms, ferns, hydrangeas, peonies, roses, and even a miniature dogwood tree flourished within the room solely by the unfailing attention of the gardener. At the end of a path between the lush vegetation, a white-metal garden table and matching chairs stood beneath the blossom-laden boughs of the miniature dogwood and Yugi unloaded his burden and sat down. Most unusual of all in the enormous room was a small, indoor koi pond. It sat recessed into the floor between the table and chairs and the wall, inches from the chair in which Yugi sat. And on the other side of the pond opened a floor-to-ceiling three-panel glass window. From there Yugi had a good view of the outdoor gardens, including the hedge maze, the roses, the lilies, and the cherry trees. A fountain jutted above everything and spouted clear water into an enormous koi pond that was the big brother of the one in the conservatory hidden below. 

Yugi nibbled at his selection of snacks, alternately watching the indoor and outdoor gardens. Outside, storm-grey clouds were covering the sky above the tops of the cherry trees, though there was no rain forecasted. Inside, the koi fish swam lazily in their artificially-oxygenated home. Seto had a rare silver koi, and the ghost-like fish occasionally swam into view, startling pale against his black-and-orange fellows. 

To his delight, the crackers, cottage cheese, and fruit was accepted graciously by his flighty stomach, though one bite each of the harder cheese and the celery was enough for him to know neither was to be risked. But despite that, he soon had enough in his stomach to silence both the hunger pains and the ever-present nausea. Feeling better, sipping his tea, Yugi studied the koi in the pond beside him. A few crackers were left over and Yugi began breaking them into tiny pieces, tossing them into the pond, where they were quickly snatched up by teeming koi. The silver one seemed the most aggressive and easily got the lion’s share of the treat. 

At last Yugi got up and took his used dishes, the plate still baring uneaten celery and Swiss, back to the kitchens. He went upstairs and washed his face and brushed his teeth, not glancing at the brass wastebasket beside the counter.

By the time he had freshened up, it was only a little after one. Dr. Kuribayashi had not called and time seemed to be crawling by. It now seemed like days since his fight with Seto.

Speaking of whom, Yugi looked up in surprise as Seto walked into the room just as he was coming from the bathroom. He paused, looking at Seto uncertainly. His lover’s face was a mask, something Seto was damn good at. 

“H-Hi, Seto,” Yugi said timidly. 

Seto set down his briefcase beside the door. He shucked off his trench coat and tossed it without looking at a chair, loosening his tie.

“What have you--”

Yugi interrupted with a rush. “Seto, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. It was so stupid and I’m really sorry. I’m just--I guess--”

“I know.”

Yugi bit his lip. “I’m sorry,” he repeated lamely. 

Seto smiled. It was just a little crook of his lips, but Yugi’s heart soared. He ran across the room and threw his arms around Seto’s middle, burying his face against his chest. 

“I’m sorry,” he repeated muffedly. 

Seto’s arms encircled him. “It was just a stupid fight,” he said, voice unusually soft. 

Yugi lifted his head, tilting his face up to look up at him. Seto was still smiling and Yugi grinned back, feeling tears well in his eyes. He blinked them back. High emotions in him seemed hard-wired to tears. Sadness, anger, sometimes--rarely--even great happiness. Usually Yugi didn’t care; he didn’t think crying made him weak or any less of a man, but this time he struggled to keep them back. 

Seto bent down and Yugi stood on his toes. Their kiss was soft and Yugi sighed when it was over, settling back on his feet. 

“Did you come home just for me?” he asked.

Seto nodded. “I figured you’d be back here.”

Yugi smiled, heart alight. He sighed again and took Seto’s hand, pulling him over to the edge of the bed. Seto went, and sat with him. Yugi let go, one leg tucked up under him so he could sit facing Seto, and took a deep breath. 

“Seto, I called Dr. Kuribayashi again. I’m waiting on him to call me back. I think he’s going to schedule some X-rays.”

Seto’s face returned to its hard mask. He didn’t say anything.

“I don’t know what’s going on with me, but… well… I think I’m going to talk to him about the possibility of a tumor.”

Seto’s expression hardened. His jaw clenched. 

“It might be a possibility,” Yugi went on. “I don’t have any headaches, but the nausea and the fatigue, and most of all the way I acted this morning…” He trailed off. “Anyway, I thought it was a good idea to bring it up.”

Seto looked away, down at the carpet. His expression was so fierce that it was a wonder the plush blue carpet didn’t explode into flames. Yugi hesitated, then reached out and gently touched Seto’s closest hand. Seto’s fingers gripped his, hard, but Yugi didn’t pull away. At last Seto turned back to him. His voice was controlled.

“Maybe it is,” was all he said. 

Yugi sniffled, the tears suddenly over spilling. He pulled his hand from Seto’s and opened his arms, leaning forward. Seto turned more toward him and enveloped him in a hug. Yugi hung onto him tightly, shaking as he cried. He felt Seto hug him more fiercely than he usually did, felt his chin rest against his shoulder. They sat like that for an indeterminable amount of time, Yugi’s crying lasting only a few minutes but their hold on each other lasting much longer. At last Yugi began to draw back and Seo released him. Sniffling, but past hiccupping, Yugi wiped his cheeks. Seto didn’t say anything. No one understood the futility of empty words better than Seto. Though they might have been a comfort, Yugi didn’t begrudge him his stoic silence. 

“Why does this have to happen?” he asked pointlessly. 

Seto still didn’t say anything, but his jaw clenched again and he looked down at the floor. Yugi looked out the window, his hands clenching into fists. He wanted to scream. Stuff liked this never seemed right.

He looked back at Seto. His lover looked up, meeting his gaze. Yugi leaned forward, cupping Seto’s cheek, and kissed him. Seto kissed him back, and when they broke apart, his eyes were torrential. Yugi sighed, then reached down and took Seto’s hand. He felt worn, drained, and exhausted. 

“Lay down with me?”

Seto didn’t protest. He shifted, crawling into bed until he and Yugi were lying face-to-face above the covers, heads on the pillows. Yugi held his hand, watching his face even as the sleepiness began to overwhelm him. He was not surprised at Seto’s silence. The more upset Seto got, the quieter he got, and he was never verbose to begin with.

Yugi drifted off, still holding his hand. 

******

When Yugi woke, he was alone. Seto had slipped away and probably had returned to work. Yugi understood; it was the same as when he had to get out of the house whenever he thought too hard about what might be happening with him. 

Yugi lay, drenched in warm afternoon sunshine, and assessed himself. The clock read 4:29. He’d been asleep over three hours. He felt leaden and achy from having stayed in the same position for so long, but comfortably warm in the sun. His stomach was mildly nauseous, but that was now such a common thing that Yugi barely noticed it. There was no headache, no pressure feeling in his head. His vision, though at first a little foggy from having just woken, was as clear and sharp as ever. When he rolled slowly over in bed until he lay on his back with his head turned to the window, he felt no swirl of dizziness. Could it be a tumor?

Yugi sighed and got out of bed. He went into the bathroom and had a long shower. When he was out, dried and dressed, he went downstairs. There, one of the maids informed him that he’d received a call from Dr. Kuribayashi an hour ago. The phone upstairs, though it could make outside calls, did not receive them. It only made noise when a maid was paging an important call through. 

Yugi returned the doctor’s call. Thankfully, this time Kuribayashi was in.

“Hello, Yugi. How are you feeling today?”

“About the same.”

“Good and bad. My receptionist said you called. Nothing has worsened?”

“No.”

There was the slightest pause. “Yugi, I really recommend you not fret. You’ll only stress yourself.”

“I want to have an X-ray for a tumor,” Yugi said in a rush.

Another pause. Then, sharply, “Have you been having any headaches, any dizziness--”

“No. Nothing. Nothing’s changed since the last time I talked to you, but I was thinking, talking about it with my friends, and it’s the only explanation I could come up with.” Not true, but Yugi was not telling anyone the other.

“I suppose that’s possible,” Kuribayashi said musingly. “Not presenting headaches or loss of vision would be unusual, but sometimes symptoms and eventual diagnosis don’t always seem to match up. I was thinking an X-ray would be a good step to take now. All right, let’s take a look, Yugi. I’ll schedule you at the Domino General Hospital for an MRI, as soon as I can. But I want to see you this coming Friday for a check-up, and we‘ll make the appointment then. I should also have the results back from the blood cultures. Is that good for you?”

It was only Tuesday the Fifth, but Yugi nodded into the phone. “That’s fine. Whenever.”

“All right. I’ll see you then. And Yugi? Don’t overstress yourself. Focus on getting as much food and liquid as you can keep down, don’t overexert yourself, and take one day at a time. Ok?”

“Yes, doctor.”

Yugi hung up the phone, feeling both jittery and weak. He’d given his theory and Kuribayashi hadn’t shot it down. Maybe he was on to something, maybe they were, maybe they’d finally know, in four days’ time, what was going on.

Yugi wanted to immediately call and tell Seto, Joey, contact Yami, but he didn’t do any of it. This was not anything, just another test. He knew nothing more now than he had this morning. But, maybe by this time Friday, he would be able to tell them something.

******

Seto got home early from work. It was barely past five when he walked in the door and Yugi was glad to see him. He greeted him with a kiss, and immediately asked him about his day. Seto took the hint and complied, giving Yugi a brief overview of work. Mokuba was out with friends again for the evening and Seto surprised Yugi by telling him to get ready to go out. Yugi went upstairs without protest, knowing that Seto was taking him out to get his mind off of his health.

Yugi had several items of clothing for different occasions at Seto’s place, some bought solely for the purpose of having here, and he washed up and changed into a charcoal-grey tuxedo and a purple tie that exactly matched his eyes, colors that flattered him. As he stood knotting the tie in front of the mirror, his eyes drifted down to his midsection. He frowned, and put his hand over his stomach. Despite the gain in weight, his belly felt as flat as it ever had. In fact, he couldn’t see any signs of the three extra pounds. If it weren’t for the scale, he never would have known he’d gained anything at all.

Best not to think about it. After all, Seto was taking him out for that very purpose.

Seto looked almost unbearably handsome in his own snow-white tux with blue tie. Yugi smiled fondly at the familiar sight of the colors of the Blue Eyes White Dragon, and had to blink rapidly as his eyes misted. He distracted himself by fussily rearranging the purple square of cloth in his breast pocket and when he looked up, he’d managed to do so with dry eyes.

Seto took him out to the classiest restaurant in Domino. The bill probably equaled the rent on the Game Shop and Yugi was worried it would be wasted by his touchy stomach. He ate with caution, taking almost delicate bites of proscuitto-wrapped melon, goat-cheese medallions, crab bisque, buttered lobster tail, and almond meringue tart with a bottle of white wine. He had never eaten so expensively, and to his relief, despite the ever-present mild nauseous feeling, he did not feel the need to run to the bathroom, despite the presence of seafood and tomato. Feeling content for the first time in a while, sipping from a second glass of wine, he smiled at Seto across the table. 

After dinner, they walked along the harbor. It was a peaceful night, mild, and though the stars couldn’t be seen here in the middle of Domino, the moon played across the softly lapping waters. They walked in comfortable silence, Yugi marveling at the hardiness of his stomach that night and realizing how sad that was.

Once they’d walked up the harbor and back down to the waiting limo, Seto put his arm around Yugi’s shoulders. Yugi leaned against him gratefully, so glad for the companionship. 

“Tonight was great,” he said when they were upstairs in the bedroom. “Thank you.”

Seto grunted. Yugi smiled, unknotting his tie and shrugging out of his tuxedo jacket. Across the room, in the second of the two closets, Seto was hanging up his own. Yugi put away his clothes and padded back out into the bedroom in his boxers, undershirt, and socks. Seto was in a similar state of undress, though he was at the dresser, digging out a pair of pajamas.

Yugi walked over and wound his arms around him from behind. He pressed a kiss to his shoulder blade through the material of his undershirt. Seto dropped the pajamas back into the drawer and turned around without bothering to close it. He bent and kissed Yugi. 

Yugi broke the kiss after a blissful moment and then stepped out of his arms, walking backwards to sit on the edge of the bed. His belly was pleasantly full and only mildly annoyed, and Seto was being very sweet in his way. Yugi felt very in the mood, more than ready to continue what they’d begun that morning. Thankfully Seto didn’t bring up the reason they hadn’t finished that morning. He just came to him and kissed him, easing down with him as Yugi tipped back. Legs hanging over the bed, Seto still more standing than lying down over him, Yugi wound his arms around Seto’s neck, kissing him gently but with rising passion. Finally Seto settled himself down on top of him with care, as if afraid of upsetting his stomach with rougher movements. Yugi didn’t complain about the caution, just going with the flow of their kisses. 

Seto eventually drew away, then gathered Yugi up easily in his arms and crawled up onto his knees on the bed, shifting them around until he lay on his back with Yugi atop him like they had been that morning. Yugi chuckled and started kissing him again, moaning in appreciation as he felt the hard body beneath him, hands wandering over his chest and ribs and arms. He broke the kiss when Seto’s hands went to divest him off his undershirt, shivering as the calloused pads of Seto’s fingers rubbed against his skin. Seto’s shirt came off as well and Yugi lowered himself down again, relishing the feel of skin against skin. They kissed again, Seto’s hands sliding down his back. One hand slid down the waistband of his boxers and Yugi moaned as he cupped his ass. He ground against him, sending friction along both their bodies as their growing erections rubbed.

“Mm, Seto,” Yugi sighed, breaking the kiss and nibbling at Seto’s ear. “Make love to me.”

Seto groaned, then rolled him off and reached for the bedside table drawer. Yugi shimmied out of his boxers, then shifted, sliding around Seto until he was leaning with his ribs against his stomach, head down to his crotch. Seto froze and moaned as Yugi pushed down his boxers and swallowed him. The sudden movement had Seto nearly coming, Yugi was sure of it, and it gave him a powerful feeling of sexiness to make him react that way. Cupping his balls in one hand, Yugi sucked him, bobbing his head in a slow, unhurried rhythm. Seto lay beneath him, trembling and occasionally moaning, merely enjoying the attentions. Yugi closed his eyes, working Seto slowly, pausing only long enough to suck in some air before going back to his task, letting the tension build up after that initial near-overwhelming.

Seto’s body started to tense and shake. Yugi opened his eyes, not stopping his rhythm, and searched blindly for the tube of lubricant. He found it, tumbled out of Seto’s grasp, and picked it up. He opened it, still bobbing his head, swirling his tongue, knowing Seto was so close. He slicked his fingers, then reached down, cupping Seto’s balls again while simultaneously sliding his middle finger inside. Seto came immediately with a hoarse yell. 

Yugi waited until all of the tremors had eased, then carefully withdrew, swallowing. He licked his lips and wiped his hand, starting anew with some more lube. He moved, sliding between Seto’s thighs, and sat on his haunches, pouring a liberal amount into his hand and wrapping his fingers around Seto’s limp cock, stroking slowly. Seto groaned softly, beginning to harden. Yugi worked him patiently until he was hard again, then handed over the lube in anticipation. He crawled up to lay by Seto’s side, hooking his leg over his waist, and kissed him. Seto kissed him back, slicking his fingers before reaching for Yugi’s backside. Yugi moaned, pressing tightly against him as Seto’s fingers worked their way inside him, stretching him with care and skill. He shuddered as Seto brushed his prostate, then cried out, breaking the kiss to throw his head back as Seto nudged the sweet spot with more force.

“Seto, please. Enough.”

Seto ignored him. His fingers started to withdraw only to push back inside with a firmer shove. Yugi cried out again, hips jerking in reaction, his erection jabbing Seto in the hip. He rubbed himself against the hot skin, but Seto abruptly, but gently, flattened Yugi onto his back and held him down, all while not removing his fingers. Yugi whined pitifully, hips pressed down by Seto’s forearm, for once the danger of his stomach completely ignored by both of them. If the pressure hurt, Yugi didn’t notice it, too caught up in the amazing pleasure of Seto’s touch to pay attention. He’d been feeling so sick and tired the last few weeks that sex had been pretty much last on his mind, but now he wanted to get it back. 

Seto continued to mercilessly stimulate his prostate. Yugi tugged at his arms and shoulders, but Seto wouldn’t budge, making Yugi wonder if he was trying to make him cum just from the relentless teasing. He was well on his way.

“Seto, no, please, I want you inside.”

Seto groaned, both with lust and with disappointment, but withdrew his fingers. Only to swiftly bend down and engulf him. Yugi shrieked, Seto accomplishing what he hadn’t. The sudden movement was an overload and Yugi came, struggling weakly against Seto’s brace, fingers sinking into his shoulders. Seto suckled lazily even as the pulses rippled through Yugi, heightening every one. When he was finally spent, he relaxed in a heap, panting so hard his lungs and throat ached, every nerve abuzz with afterglow. 

He opened his eyes hazily as the bed shifted. Seto smirked down at him with that crazily sexy smile of pure wicked lust that made Yugi’s heart somehow speed up and stop at the same time. He looked up at him, biting his lip in anticipation. Sure enough, Seto lifted his hips and pressed inside. Yugi’s back arched to an almost impossible degree as he felt him slide in inch by inch. He held onto the sheets for dear life, the slow rub to his prostate sending a bolt of pleasure through his sated body so bright it was almost painful. 

Seto paused once he was fully within, holding Yugi’s legs hooked over his arms easily, balancing on his knees. Yugi twitched into a position better for his back, releasing the sheets to run his hands along Seto’s thighs and stomach, just barely in reach. Seto began the rhythm, hips moving fluidly. They both moaned, Yugi closing his eyes and just feeling. He absently ran his hands along himself, the soft brushing of his fingers over his skin accentuating the deep thrusts of Seto. He reached down and toyed idly with his semi-erect cock, getting himself back to full hardness even as every thrust of Seto’s made the pleasure skyrocket that much faster.

“Uhn, Seto, god, that’s good.”

Seto grunted, fingers digging into the flesh of Yugi’s thighs. Yugi opened his eyes, looking up at him, seeing his usually tidy hair sticking to his forehead, his teeth bared and eyes closed, pleasure written on his face. He squeezed his muscles deliberately just as Seto thrust forward and they both cried out from the intensified pleasure.

“Yugi… do that again--”

“Like this?”

Seto gasped, stilled, and opened his eyes to glare at him. Yugi grinned back, knowing full well he’d interrupted Seto rather than having fulfilled the request he’d been trying to make. Seto finished the sentence anyway.

“Do that again and I’ll come, so don’t.”

Yugi bit his lip, still smiling, and tilted his head teasingly. “I did and you didn’t.”

Seto’s hips jerked hard. Yugi howled, arching up again and clawing the sheets. He had only just relaxed again, panting in the wake of the sudden pleasure strike, when Seto started his rhythm again, harder, faster. Yugi twisted his head to the other side, reaching down feverishly to his cock. He stroked the now rock-hard erection, the end rushing up so fast he knew he couldn’t stop it even if he wanted to.

They crashed over it simultaneously, Yugi squealing as the warm rush of Seto’s seed within him accompanied the warm rush of his own against his stomach. They collapsed, gasping for breath and trembling. Seto wiped them off half-heartedly with a corner of the sheet, then lay down at Yugi’s side. Yugi lay on his back, still struggling to breathe and calm down, the sweat cooling on his body. He relaxed slowly. His stomach was more nauseous than before after the brisk activity, but he ignored it. He felt so good otherwise and did not want to spoil the moment. He opened his eyes and turned his head. Seto was almost asleep and Yugi smiled at his tranquil face, briefly pecking his lips before leaning over him to turn off the light. 

But as he lay in the darkness, so content and feeling so good, he couldn’t fall asleep. Moments like this were his favorite, when he was lying beside Seto, so peaceful, whether they’d just made love or not. He didn’t want to lose them. Now he was afraid to go to his appointment on Friday, afraid of what he would find out. 

Yugi had almost forgotten their fight that morning, but even that was something to be cherished. It was, unfortunately, a natural part of a relationship and he wanted to hang onto it all, good or bad. 

He realized he was looking in the direction of the bathroom as he remembered the events of that day. He turned his head and looked over at Seto, though he couldn’t see him in the darkness, even with his eyes adapted. Indecision tore at him, but finally he began to slide out of bed cautiously, trying not to disturb Seto. He succeeded and padded silently to the bathroom, shutting the door before he turned on the light. He grabbed his bathrobe from the hook on the inside of the door and pulled it on, cinching it shut as he stared at the brass wastebasket. 

At last, Yugi reached into the wastebasket, peering in before reaching in, making quite sure he grabbed the right end of the stick. He pulled it out, then turned it over, at the same time grabbing the instructions with his other hand. He turned them around to the section about the symbols, then looked at the window.

He stared. Look at the instructions. Looked back.

No.

He looked back and forth again. Nothing had changed, but surely he had misread one or the other.

But, no. He had read both correctly. He just couldn’t assimilate the information. He looked again, a fourth time, a fifth.

At last it clicked, and he knew he had read the information the right way the first time.

No.

Yugi backed up slowly into the wall, in a daze, then slowly slid to the floor, the test in one hand and the instructions in the other, both forgotten. The symbols were clear. Unmistakable. 

He was pregnant. 

tbc...

A/N: This chapter was stupidly long.


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four:

Joey managed to push open the front door, snickering as he nearly fell through it. He caught himself on the jamb, pushing himself upright. Yami chuckled softly. Joey put his arm around him, guiding him to go in first. Yami did so, fumbling with the multi-switch light-switch. He turned on the patio light and dining room ceiling fan before getting the right living room switch. Laughing, Joey pushed the door shut with a thump and managed the locks with some fumbling of his own. He shrugged off his jacket and threw it haphazardly across the nearest chair. Yami had already taken his off and gotten it laid much more neatly over the same chair’s armrest.

They’d just stumbled their way home from a bar down the street and around the corner. Joey did not drink, but Yami did, and they’d just gone on a whim, bored on a Tuesday night. They’d played some of the arcade games, which Yami won, then a trivia game, which they were both horrible at--Yami because he was a reincarnated Pharaoh and Joey because he mostly was oblivious of pop culture outside of movies, games, and some comics. After that, Joey had taught Yami how to play pool, unsurprised when he learned so fast he beat him the second game.

Then, ravenous, they’d gone back into the main barroom, which was showing a baseball game. They’d watched it, munching on chicken wings, potato skins, fries, and nachos. Yami had ordered a beer, and Joey had also. Absorbed in the game, teaching Yami the rules, and in the exuberant bar atmosphere, Joey had lost track of time and junk consumption. It was suddenly two in the morning, the bar was closing, and their table was littered with food baskets and beer bottles. The bar tender was concerned about them driving, for they were both drunk, but they’d assured him they were less than a block away and on foot. So, weaving and laughing, they’d meandered home. Joey really had no idea how much either of them had had; they were able to walk and find their way home, at any rate.

“That was fun, Joey,” Yami murmured, very carefully making his way into the kitchen. His voice was slurred and that brought a big grin to Joey’s face. “We should do it again sometime.”

“Yeah.”

He followed Yami into the kitchen, where he was in the cabinet, getting some glasses. He bumped the cabinet door closed with one full hand and then turned on the faucet, filling one glass with water. Joey stumbled over to the island counter, attempted to hoist himself onto a stool, and knocked it over. Yami laughed at the sink, carefully setting the full cup on the counter and shoving the other under the stream. Joey picked the stool up, but leaned on his forearms on the counter instead of trying to sit again. He took the proffered glass of water when Yami brought it over. He guzzled half of it, so thirsty after all the beer and snacks.

Yami swallowed a mouthful of water, smiling almost dreamily, his eyes half closed. There were spots of red visible beneath the bronze of his skin. After a moment, he seemed to notice Joey’s staring. “Yes?”

“Just thinking…” Joey set his glass down and started around the counter. “…that you…” Yami watched him. “…look…” 

Joey knocked the stool over again and nearly tripped. Yami snickered. Joey kicked the stool out of his way and went around the counter. He reached out, stroking Yami’s flushed cheek. “You look absolutely gorgeous.”

“Do I?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Joey bent down and kissed him. Yami kissed him back, opening his mouth. He tasted of beer and buffalo sauce. Joey slid his tongue inside, wrapping his arms around his waist. Yami put his hands on his shoulders, then broke the kiss, darting his head under Joey’s chin and starting a series of kisses and nips. Joey groaned, closing his eyes. He dropped one hand to Yami’s backside and playfully forced a hand into his back pocket. Yami sighed lustily and raised his head, hands going to Joey’s cheeks and mouth claiming his. Joey parted his lips, placing his other hand in his other back pocket. He squeezed and Yami moaned in his mouth.

Joey broke the kiss and took back his hands, reaching up to grab Yami’s as they slid from his face. Holding his hands in his, he walked backwards, pulling Yami with him. He stumbled and nearly pulled Yami off balance.

“Hmm…”

Joey decided to forego attempting to navigate to the bedroom. He turned them around and pressed Yami against the kitchen wall beside the archway. He rested against him, kissing his forehead, then clumsily taking his mouth. Yami wound his arms around his neck again. Joey reached down, taking a step back, and grabbed Yami beneath his thighs, lifting him up. Yami hooked his legs around his waist, groaning when Joey pushed him back against the wall, the new position pressing them tightly together from chest to crotch. Joey echoed him, feeling the hard bulge against his own. He was feeling somewhat more clear-headed, though he was leaning a bit more heavily on Yami than he might have otherwise.

The kiss was broken and Joey started on Yami’s neck. Since they’d separated, the differences in the personalities between Yugi and Yami were manifesting more obviously. Yugi still often wore the all-black clothes he had in high school, though usually without jewelry, and the neck belt. Yami, on the other hand, wore much brighter colors, especially red, blue, and yellow. He often had on the black leather pants like Yugi, as Yugi’s tastes had been influenced after Yami woken and merged with him, but his tops were brighter and he always wore some jewelry. At that moment he had on a white v-neck t-shirt, silver bracelets on each arm, a silver ring with a red stone on his right middle finger, and a silver ankh pendant on a chain. Neither he nor Yugi wore the Puzzle anymore, though Yami kept it on his dresser top. His neck was bare to Joey’s lips.

Yami merely hung onto Joey as he worked his way down his neck. Joey nipped and sucked, not shy to giving him a nice, dark hickey mark.

He was working his way back up when he felt a change in Yami. He hesitated, then lifted his head curiously. Yami was still wound around him, head resting back against the wall to give him access to his throat, but his eyes were glazed. Joey knew that expression well. Yami was in conversation with Yugi, in a sort of trance. 

Frowning, Joey stood still, supporting Yami against the wall, head clearer with every passing minute. He dimly wondered what was going on. He turned his head, focusing blearily on the clock above the stove. It took a moment for the glowing green numbers to clear and make sense. 2:48 a.m. What was Yugi doing calling Yami so late?

Joey studied Yami’s face. A trance was really the only way to describe the situation. Yami’s eyes were open, but unfocused, face expressionless, though sometimes he would make faces depending on the conversation. He was all but oblivious to his surroundings unless jolted from the conversation. Joey sometimes worried about that, for both of them, especially now that Yami no longer had the bulk of his power. His protective instinct was probably unappreciated, but that didn’t stop it.

The conversation didn’t last long. Yami came back to life, blinking and focusing on the room. Joey nibbled lightly at his jaw.

“Yug’ ok? What was that about?”

“I don’t know. I suddenly had a feeling of distress from Aibou, but he told me it was a nightmare.”

“You don’t believe him?”

“I… He seemed too quick to reassure me.”

Joey eased Yami down. “Poor guy must have had to rush to the bathroom again and didn’t want to have to make you experience it, too.”

Yami nodded absently. “Yes, he said something similar to me before, but then, why would he lie?”

Joey frowned. “He wouldn’t. Yug’ doesn’t lie unless he has to. Maybe he was telling the truth.”

“Perhaps.”

Their moment was over, Joey knew that. Yami’s alcohol-fogged mind was focused on Yugi and Joey couldn’t blame him. This past week since learning Yugi might be seriously ill was weighing on them both. The idea that his best buddy could be diagnosed with something life-threatening had made it hard for Joey to sleep, too. That might have been Yugi’s ‘nightmare,’ a dream about his pending diagnosis when he saw the doc next week.

Joey took Yami’s hand and squeezed it. He pulled him away from the wall and to their bedroom. They didn’t walk an entirely straight line yet, but they made it and crawled into bed in their clothes. Joey pulled Yami into his arms, stroking his bicep with his thumb, mind on Yugi.

It was going to be ok.

It had to be.

******

Yugi sat on the floor of the bathroom, head spinning. The test hung from his numbed fingers, the instructions on the floor between his legs. He felt winded and he raised the test with a shaking hand, staring at the window for the umpteenth time. Impossible. Pregnant.

The smiling baby face inside the window almost seemed to mock him. It told him there was no mistaking it. The negative symbol was a scarlet red circle with a line through it, like a no-smoking sign. The positive symbol was a baby face. No mistaking it.

Yugi lowered the test and swallowed hard. His mind was a confused jumble. He didn’t know what to think, he didn’t know what to do. The situation was so impossible that he couldn’t react.

//Aibou?//

Yugi froze, horrified. He pushed the test from the forefront of his thoughts--which was not easy--and answered.

/Yes, Yami?/

//Are you okay?//

Yami’s voice sounded distant and slurry. Foggy. Yugi realized with a jolt that he was drunk. That was sufficient to pull his attention from the test.

/Yami… are you drunk?/

//Yes. Joey and I went to a bar. He taught me to play a game called pool, and I beat him at it. I think he wasn’t surprised. I think he expects it. I hope that doesn’t upset him. What?//

/Er… I didn’t say anything./

//Oh. I thought you… Anyway, but I have to play to win, even against him. We got home half an hour ago. You seem upset.//

Yugi couldn’t respond for a minute. Yami drunk was such a surprise that he couldn’t think of anything to say. He knew Yami drank. Beer and wine were staples of Ancient Egypt and Yami was fond of the taste of the red wine sold at a market near the Game Shop, but he’d never gotten drunk to Yugi’s knowledge. 

//Aibou?// Yami sounded clearer now.

/It was just a nightmare,/ Yugi blurted. He couldn’t tell Yami the truth. He couldn’t. /Just a stupid nightmare. I’m sorry./

//Are you sure?//

/Yeah. You and Joey are home, right?/

//Yes. Joey nearly fell through the door.// Yami’s mental voice was amused.

/Wait. *Joey* is drunk, too?/

//Yes. We were watching a baseball game and he had a beer with me. He does sometimes. We kept watching the game and getting food and drinks and then we were drunk.// Yami made a noise that was suspiciously close to a giggle. //He nearly fell through the door.//

/You said. He isn’t hurt is he?/ Yugi couldn’t help but smile slightly. Yami sounded funny and hearing him talking like this made him feel a little better. 

//No. He didn’t fall. But he knocked over the bar stool in the kitchen twice.// Yami snickered again, then said abruptly, //A nightmare?//

Yugi sobered quickly again. He looked at the test still clutched in his fingers. /Yeah. A nightmare./

Yami, convinced, said goodnight. Yugi closed their link fully and stared at the mocking baby face.

“Yugi?”

Yugi started badly at the sound of Seto’s voice. He hastily snatched up the instructions and stuffed them and the test in the trash as he answered. “Yes, Seto?”

“Are you sick?”

“No. I’ll be in in a minute, ok?”

There was a pause, then Yugi heard Seto’s retreating footsteps. He stood and flushed the toilet for show, then turned on the tap and washed his hands. He splashed cold water on his face, then pressed his hands against the countertop and leaned forward, examining his reflection in the mirror. He didn’t look crazy.

Pregnant.

Impossible. He couldn’t believe he had even taken the test. He would just go to Dr. Kuribayashi and get a real diagnosis. The man was a doctor. He’d know more than Yugi. And even if all the signs did say pregnancy, there had to be a different diagnosis for those symptoms all together.

Yugi turned out the light, then opened the door. He padded through the darkness back to bed and crawled under the covers. Seto didn’t say anything and Yugi cuddled up against his side again, resting his head on his chest. 

******

On Friday morning, Yugi showered and got ready for his appointment with Dr. Kuribasyahi. He had not been able to put the test from his mind in the last few days, as much as he had wanted to. It was long gone, but it still haunted his thoughts every time he had a moment to himself. Now was no different. 

As he dressed in front of the full-length mirror, he glanced down at his stomach. A frown crossed his face and pressed his hand against himself. Then he turned sideways and bunched his shirt at the back, pulling it tightly against his front. He wasn’t imagining it. There was some swelling in his stomach.

Yugi felt the blood drain out of his face. He hurried to take his shirt off, throwing it to the floor and leaning closer to the mirror, then looked down at his real self. He could see the small protuberance, hardly noticeable if it hadn’t been for the fact that Yugi had always had a entirely flat stomach. Now his belly was faintly rounded.

Yugi turned and ran into the bathroom. He grabbed the bathroom scale out from under the decorative end piece where it always lay and got on. Seto had a digital scale, of course, and it took only a couple of seconds for the blinking dash to turn into three numbers. Ninety-eight point seven.

He had gained almost six and a half pounds. 

A thin whine left his mouth as he stepped off the scale, his knees feeling weak. Shuddering, he sat down on the closed toilet lid, hunching over slightly and desperately trying to get his spinning thoughts together. No, no, no.

Yugi sat up and arched his back enough to look down his front, thrusting out his stomach. The bump remained, a swelling that was almost invisible, except to someone well used to the view. Yugi reached down to touch it again. His hand trembled. He felt the small distension, pressed on it gently.

Could he really be… pregnant?

tbc...

A/N: I have tried doing research on things, but of course I am no obstetrician.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five:

Joey moaned pitifully, pulling the covers up over his head. His throbbing head. He felt like shit. Having just awoken, he had opened his eyes to the day, and regretted it in an instant. His head pounded, his mouth tasted like used carpet, his eyes felt grainy, and his stomach felt like someone had rabbit punched him for an hour. The light coming in through the open blinds in the windows made his headache even worse, so he buried beneath the comforter with a muttered curse. 

“Joey?” 

Yami’s voice, mercifully soft. He felt the bed shift near his front, and knew that Yami had sat down on the edge. He felt his hand on his shoulder through the comforter.

“Are you okay?”

“Ugh,” Joey muttered. 

He felt Yami get up, heard him walk around the room, and heard the snap of the curtains being closed on both windows. Reluctantly, he pulled down the covers from his head. The room was bathed in semi-darkness, only a little sunlight spilling in. The door to the hallway was open, but the light was indirect. Still, Joey’s head throbbed and he grimaced. 

Yami returned to the side of the bed, sitting down and then leaning over him, nearest arm over Joey’s body while he gently rubbed his bicep with the other hand. Joey turned his head to look up at him, though he was unable to make out much of his features in the darkness of the room.

“I’m sorry, mrwt,” Yami murmured. “Your headache is my fault.”

Joey smiled, reaching up to brush Yami’s bangs back behind his ear. Yami only used that pet name when he was sincerely emotional. It meant “beloved” and was such a sugary, out-of-character nickname that he knew Yami actually felt guilty.

“Hey, you didn’t hold a gun to my head, Babe.” 

“Yes, but you drank because I did.”

Joey laughed, and immediately regretted it. “So? We were having a good time. Babe, I’d suffer a hangover to have fun with you any day of the week.” He licked his lips and grimaced. “Even if my mouth tastes like dirty socks.”

“When have you ever chewed on dirty socks?” Yami asked with a smile, which Joey could only see because of the faintest shine off his teeth. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Yami got up and padded out of the room, down the hall. Joey closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with both hands, then his eyes. He lowered his hands when he heard Yami returning. Yami sat back down on the edge of the bed, holding a glass in one hand, and a pair of little round white pills in the other. Aspirin and water. 

“Ah, thanks.” Joey sat up on his elbow to pop the pills into his mouth, quickly swigging water. If there was a worse taste than what in his mouth after a hangover, it was aspirin. After swallowing the pills, he chugged down the rest of the water and set the glass on the side table. Laying back down, he sighed. Yes, he’d drunk alcohol to share in something with Yami, despite his aversion to alcohol thanks to his dad, but this only served to remind him of yet another reason he hated it. 

“Hopefully, that’ll make you feel better,” Yami said.

“Yeah. Hey. Weren’t you talking to Yug’ last night? You know, there in the kitchen.”

“Yes.”

“What’d he say? I don’t really remember.” He hadn’t gotten so drunk he had memory loss, but the details were fuzzy. 

“A nightmare, I believe. I felt some distress from him, but he assured me he merely had a nightmare.”

“Oh, yeah…” Joey frowned. “Didn’t you think he was lying?”

“I don’t know,” Yami admitted. “I don’t think Aibou would ever lie to us.”

Joey nodded, frowning. “Maybe… if he thought he had to.”

“But what would he be lying about?”

“I don’t know.” 

Yami’s voice sounded concerned. “If he thought he had to… Do you think Aibou got some sort of news from his doctor?”

“Hey.” Joey reached out and took Yami’s hand, gently squeezing it and rubbing his knuckles with his thumb. “Don’t worry about stuff until you know. Yug’s going to be fine. Whatever this is… Well, it won’t be as bad as it seems.”

“You’re right,” Yami said softly, though his voice held a touch of uncertainty. “He’s supposed to be having an appointment with Dr. Kuribayashi on Friday. I’ll ask him to tell us what the doctor says afterwards.”

“I’ll be at work. If it’s… important…” He didn’t want to say ‘bad news’. “…call me home. But it’ll be okay, Babe.”

******

Yugi waited nervously in the doctor’s waiting room for his turn to be seen. Dr. Kuribayashi was the Kaiba doctor on retainer, but he had his private practice where he saw some of Domino’s richest and Yugi had chosen to make the trip and wait this time. He didn’t like making the doctor come to him. Despite being a rich man himself attending Domino’s A-list, he wasn’t snobbish as many such people were. He was very kind and genuinely concerned for his patients, so Yugi wanted to make seeing him, an extra patient from his usual care, easier.

The waiting room was small, as was the whole practice, but meticulously clean, organized, and posh. The carpet was pale gold and lush, the walls covered in cream paper, and the oak furniture upholstered in plush white leather. Cut-crystal vases held tasteful floral arrangements. There was no TV and no out-of-date magazines. Instead, there were two shelving units full of actual books along with science and business magazines of the latest issues. 

Yugi, too nervous to read, fidgeted uncomfortably on the soft white sofa he was sitting on. There was one other person in the waiting room, a forty-something woman with the ever-present disdainful expression of the true blue blood snob. Her raven black hair held not a touch of gray, though her mouth and eyes held small wrinkles, and her unnaturally trim figure was clothed in an impeccable white pantsuit. Yugi wondered why a woman like her, who radiated conceit from every pore, would deign to wait rather than drag Kuribayashi to her house. Unless she had a problem of which she would not want her family to know about. 

“Yugi?”

Yugi started badly at the sound of the nurse’s voice. He looked up, seeing the smiling young woman standing in the doorway leading to the exam rooms. “Um, yes, I’m here.”

“The doctor will see you now.”

Hearing the movie-ish line, Yugi got to his feet, feeling as if this whole thing was some weird dream. He walked across the waiting room and followed the young nurse down to an exam room. Kuribayashi’s practice actually had three doctors working out of it, but it was Kuribayashi’s business. The building held five exam rooms, a room with ultrasound equipment, and a small lab. The well-off private practice still had to send patients with severe problems to a full-sized hospital. 

The nurse put Yugi in Exam Room 3, telling him to strip and get into the ubiquitous hospital gown, then left. Yugi changed into the gown and then perched on the paper-covered exam table, his heart hammering in his chest. He wondered if there was a way he could bring up to the doctor that he might be pregnant. Dr. Kuribayashi was sure to think he was insane. Yugi wondered if he could have him forcibly committed.

Still, something had to be done. This was nagging at him, and he couldn’t make it go away. 

The sooner that Dr. Kuribayashi diagnosed something else, the better. 

“Hello, Yugi,” the doctor said cheerfully as he knocked and entered the room. “How are you feeling this afternoon?”

“Pretty good.”

“Good. No dizziness, trouble with vision, numbness, nothing?”

“No. Just the usual nausea.” Yugi hesitated, started to speak, then closed his mouth. Kuribayashi, writing in his clipboard, didn’t notice.

“Ok, Yugi, let’s have a look at your vitals again.”

He examined Yugi’s blood pressure, heart, lungs, eyes, ears, and throat, tested his reflexes, then drew some more blood. 

“Well, we still haven’t pinned down anything definite,” he said, sitting back down on his exam stool. “Your earlier blood and urine samples have failed every test we’ve put them to, so far. Which is good. And bad.”

“Because we don’t know what it is yet.”

“Right. You mentioned a tumor to me on the phone. Would you like me to go ahead and schedule you to have an X-ray?”

“Yes, please.”

“We’d have to have an appointment set up for you at Domino General, which might be a few days from now.”

“Whatever works out is fine.”

Dr. Kuribayashi nodded and wrote a note on his clipboard. Then he frowned and looked up. “Yugi, Nurse Tokine listed your weight as 99. Is that correct?”

Yugi nodded, mouth dry. 

“I have your weight from your previous visit as 95, and you said then that you’d gained some.”

Yugi nodded again.

Looking concerned, Kuribayashi stood. “Have you been eating more than usual?”

“No. At least, not since all this started happening.”

“Yugi, I’d like to ask you to remove the gown, so I can have a look at your stomach.”

Yugi raised the gown over his head, sitting self-consciously in his boxers. Kuribayashi had him lay out on the table, then leaned over him, his hands beginning to gently feel Yugi’s stomach. Yugi immediately expected him to comment on the newfound swelling, but he didn’t. The difference was so slight that he might not notice it. It was Yugi’s body, he had to live with it every day and so was sure to notice, but to the doctor it apparently wasn’t obvious. Nevertheless, as Kuribayashi’s hands pressed in different places, he wondered if the doctor would notice eventually.

“Does this hurt?” Dr. Kuribayashi asked, pressing firmly against Yugi’s abdomen, between his belly button and left hipbone. 

“No.”

Kuribayashi pressed hard on Yugi’s stomach and abdomen in several places, continuously asking if there was pain. Other than the discomfort of pressure, Yugi didn’t think it hurt, but Kuribayashi still frowned when he straightened up. He had Yugi roll over and pressed against his lower back in the same manner. When Yugi continued to say there was no pain, he had him sit up and put the gown back on.

Taking up his clipboard, Kuribayashi made some notes. “Do you have any trouble passing urine, or is there any blood in your urine?”

“No,” Yugi said, feeling a little sick. He wasn’t sure if that had to do with his problem or the thought of urinating blood.

“Is there any unusual changes in your stool?”

“I… haven’t really noticed.”

Kuribayashi’s lips twitched, but he nodded seriously. “Do you know what a gallstone is?”

“It’s something like kidney stones, right? Only in the gallbladder?”

“Right. They’re hard deposits of calcium or other material that builds up and creates blockages called stones. Such things happen thanks to being overweight, which you are decidedly not, or from dietary problems or restricted gallbladder movement. Sufferers can be asymptomatic for a long time, but some symptoms include vomiting and nausea. Your weight gain concerns me, but you might be suffering multiple problems, so we shouldn’t rule anything out just because it doesn’t fit. I think I’d rather schedule you an ultrasound first. Gallstones can be benign. They’re called ‘silent stones’ and generally don’t need treatment. The fact that you have no pain makes me wonder if I’m barking up the wrong tree, but there’s no harm in checking, right?”

“Right,” Yugi said faintly. An ultrasound. That would show for sure…

“Why don’t we have you do that tomorrow, instead? We have a machine right here at the practice. Anna will be happy to pencil you in. Say, two o’clock?”

“That’s fine.”

Dr. Kuribayashi looked up, frowning again. “Yugi, are you ok? You look pale now.”

“I’m just worried.” Which was the entire truth.

“An ultrasound doesn’t hurt. And gallstones are not, as a rule, dangerous. If they need to be treated, all it takes is a small incision here.” He pointed at Yugi’s torso near his right-side ribs. “Recovery takes about three to five days, and you’re out and back on regular food in a week.”

Yugi nodded. 

“So, I’ll put you down for two o’clock tomorrow afternoon, and if this doesn’t turn up anything, we’ll just keeping trying…”

******

On the way out of the exam room, they nearly bumped into a very pretty woman in the hall dressed in a white doctor’s lab coat. She was tall and slender, with a rather nice figure under her coat, bright blue eyes, and thick, lustrous hair nearly a perfect shade of bronze. She looked more like a movie star than a doctor.

“Ah, Anna, your ears must have been burning,” Dr. Kuribayashi said warmly.

So this was Anna. 

“Yugi, this is Anna Rockbell, our ultrasound technician. Anna, this is Yugi Moto, a patient of mine. I’m scheduling him for an ultrasound tomorrow. We need to check for gall- or kidney stones.”

Anna smiled at Yugi. Her teeth were perfectly white and even, and she looked as friendly as a favorite kindergarten teacher who genuinely liked little kids.

“Hi, Yugi,” she said, giving him a little bow that he returned. “Do you have any questions about the ultrasound, then?”

“No,” Yugi admitted. He was still worried about what the ultrasound might show, but he couldn’t voice that.

“Ok. Well, I’ll see you…” She glanced at Kuribayashi’s clipboard. “I’ll see you at two o’clock tomorrow then.”

******

Yugi returned home not long after that, the card reminding him of his appointment in his hand as he walked through the door. Seto was already home, and had come into the entrance hall as Yugi walked in. His eyes fell on the small card in Yugi’s hand.

“What’s that?” he asked, his voice guarded.

“An appointment card. For tomorrow. For an ultrasound.”

Confusion flitted across Seto’s face. “What do you need an ultrasound for?”

“To test for gallstones.”

Seto’s expression relaxed. “Gallstones? Is that all?” He then frowned, walking closer. “No, that can’t be all. The way you’ve been the last few weeks, that can’t be all Kuribayashi has to offer.”

“It’s one more thing on his checklist to rule out,” Yugi clarified.

Seto growled. “I ought to take you somewhere else.”

“Another doctor probably wouldn’t be any faster, Seto,” Yugi said wearily. “They’d have to have trial and error, too. If they don’t find any gallstones, they’ll keep looking. If they do, they’ll get them out and see if that clears it all up. If it doesn’t, they’ll see what else is wrong with me.”

“Hey.”

Yugi looked up at Seto’s sharp exclamation. Seto stood over him, frowning down at him.

“Listen, Yugi. It’s going to be fine. We’ll find out what this is and get rid of it.”

Yugi smiled a little. Seto saw this, like anything else, as a challenge. There was nothing his brains, his guts, and his money couldn’t fix, he was sure of that. It was a bit illogical, but that was how Seto saw the world. He wouldn’t believe there was anything wrong with Yugi that he couldn’t fix somehow, not until a real diagnosis was achieved. 

“First, we’ll see if it’s gallstones,” Yugi said.

Seto grunted. “Are you hungry?”

Yugi nodded, beginning to follow him to the dining room. Maybe after dinner he’d sneak onto Seto’s computer and look up gallstones himself, see what they really were and what they did to a person. Though from what Kuribayashi said, they didn’t sound so bad. It might even be lucky if that was all that was wrong.

Of course, he had to get through the ultrasound testing first.

Yugi’s steps faltered. The ultrasound. What if he really *was* pregnant? The ultrasound would show it, wouldn’t? Yugi did some quick math in his head. He’d been sick since the Tawaret statue, and that had been… over two months ago, almost three months ago. He hadn’t begun to get sick until more than a month after he’d touched the statue. Yugi pressed his hand against his stomach. Three months. Surely that was long enough for a pregnancy to be seen on an ultrasound, wasn’t it? If he went in there, and it was true, the technician was sure to see. What then? What would Yugi do if, against all reason, the ultrasound confirmed the impossible? How could he be pregnant?

“Yugi?”

Yugi looked up. He’d stopped walking and Seto had stopped with him. He was looking down at him with concern.

“Are you ill again? Throw up in the potted plant if you need to.”

Yugi nearly laughed, but he just couldn’t work up the hilarity. What if he was pregnant, what would he do? How could he carry it? He was a boy; even with magic, how was it possible? Where was the baby, if he didn’t have a uterus? 

A worse thought occurred to him, making the blood drain out of his face. The statue had been magic and magic was required to get a male pregnant in the first place, but how did it go about doing so? What if it changed him, somehow? 

“Yugi?!”

Yugi was suddenly aware of Seto scooping him up into his arms. The brunette was backtracking towards the entrance hall, shouting for his butler to call an ambulance. 

“Seto, what are you doing?”

“Look at you, you’re as white as a ghost! Are you fainting?”

“No, I--”

“Where is that damn man? What the hell do I pay him for? Ich--”

“Seto, put me down!”

Seto paused, looking down at him. 

“Seto, I’m not fainting. I’m not. I…” Yugi hesitated. “I’m just not feeling well. It’s nothing different. Can I just go to bed, please?”

Seto slowly set him on his feet, but kept hold of one of his biceps, like he was ensuring he didn’t fall. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure, Seto. I wouldn’t lie to you.” Withhold, but not lie. “Please, don’t call an ambulance.”

The butler had come into the entrance hall, and now he hovered, uncertain of what to do. Seto studied Yugi closely, searching his face. 

“You were holding your stomach.”

Yugi nodded. Seto frowned and relaxed a little, apparently contributing that to Yugi’s nausea. Ignoring the butler entirely, he released Yugi’s arm.

“Can you make it up the stairs?”

“I’m fine,” Yugi repeated. “Go and have dinner, ok?”

Yugi really didn’t feel like eating now. He wasn’t physically sick, but he was emotionally sick. He went upstairs, then sat on the edge of the bed he shared with Seto, poking his stomach experimentally as he thought. 

First thing was first. The ultrasound. It could confirm without doubt whether the impossible was possible. Once Yugi knew for sure, then he could decide what do then. 

Another thought struck Yugi. What if a baby did show up on the monitor? The technician would see… and understandably freak. She had seemed very nice there at the practice, but she was sure to be quite confused by seeing a baby on the monitor, to put it mildly. Yugi would. If she did freak out, what would happen then? 

Thoughts of science fiction movies crowded Yugi’s mind, of those diagnosed with strange things being imprisoned by governments, experimented on. Yugi would be the world’s first pregnant man. Science would love to study him, and if he did say it had happened through magic, well, they might think he was crazy, or worse, believe him and study him even more. People from all over the world would come to take a look at him and the studies, interrogate him. Scientists, cultists, and weirdoes alike would want to know all about magic and everything else. 

‘Slow down,’ he thought to himself. ‘Those are movies, Yugi.’

So what? That didn’t mean the government wouldn’t flip out and want to study him. And if he went for this ultrasound and Anna the technician saw it, he couldn’t very well expect her to keep quiet about it. 

Maybe he shouldn’t have the ultrasound. He could beg off somehow. Maybe claim headaches and vision problems after all, and have Kuribayashi focus on his head instead. 

But that was no solution either. If he was pregnant, he couldn’t just ignore it. It would make itself known eventually, and then it might be too late.

Torn with indecision, Yugi got up and went to the window. 

Maybe he could talk to Yami first. But what would he say? Yami might have been a reincarnated Egyptian Pharaoh, but that didn’t mean he would know what the hell was going on. That statue hadn’t been from anywhere near where Yami had lived, and it had come from after his time, he’d said so himself. He might believe in the possibility that magic had made it possible for Yugi to get pregnant, but that didn’t mean he could be any help, or have any advice. Yugi didn’t want to tell him either. The thought of having a living being inside him was making his skin crawl and his stomach churn. He almost felt like puking right then, and it had nothing to do with his condition. The thought of telling Yami that he was pregnant was making him feel even worse. Yami’s reaction would probably be more favorable than Anna’s, but there was still the fact he’d have to tell him, and Yugi felt too ashamed to do so.

Ashamed. Why, really? It wasn’t as if he’d done anything wrong. He’d picked up the damned statue and accidentally invoked it somehow, and gotten pregnant. Still, there was some irrational shame in the idea and he just didn’t want to tell anyone. 

Especially not Seto.

God, what would he tell Seto if the ultrasound came back positive? What would Seto think, how would he react? Yugi couldn’t even begin to guess.

‘Calm down,’ Yugi urged himself again, struggling to take deep breaths. ‘You don’t even know for sure if you’re even pregnant. Find that out first.’

Which brought him back to whether he ought to have the ultrasound or not. Maybe he ought to look it up, like he had planned.

Yugi walked over to Seto’s computer in the sitting room and signed in to the guest account. Bringing up the internet, he hesitated midway through typing gallstone, then instead put in testing positive on a pregnancy test as a man. The first thing that leaped out at him was that testing positive on a pregnancy was a symptom of testicular cancer. Yugi clicked the link and read it through, feeling sick all over again. Cancer was the word he hadn’t wanted to think of himself. 

Maybe he should mention the test to Kuribayashi after all, now that he had seen this. The doctor might still think he was weird or stupid for having tried a test, but if a positive pregnancy test in a male signified testicular cancer, that was something he wanted to jump on fast, and he could endure as many weird looks as it took. 

Yugi backtracked to the home page and typed in gallstone. He read through a couple of the first returned webpages. They didn’t sound so bad, in comparison. But now that he had read through, it sounded less and less likely to Yugi. Gallstones presented with nausea and vomiting like Dr. Kuribayashi had said, but there was nothing Yugi saw that included weight gain, mood swings, fatigue, or anything else. And there was the bump in his abdomen to think about. It didn’t look as if he’d just put on weight, he’d developed a bump. He hadn’t been eating enough extra to have developed a paunch. 

Yugi leaned back in the chair, pulled up his shirt, and studied the offending little distension. Still hardly noticeable. Even Seto hadn’t said anything. Next to Yugi, he ought to be the most familiar with his body. 

Yugi returned to thoughts of the statue. It was time to think things through seriously, without shying away from anything. Say the statue was the real deal and he had somehow gotten pregnant. Maybe there was a way to reverse it. Did every curse and spell have a counter? Yami would know, but that would entail telling him. 

As he sat there, Yugi thought of what had made him go pale in the hall. If the statue could make him pregnant, what else could it have done to him? Maybe the pregnancy was possible because the spell had changed him, internally.

Yugi shut off the computer with shaking hands and got to his feet. He returned to the bedroom, then went on into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door. Inside the roomy area, he undressed, then stood and attempted to examine himself. He studied himself in the full-length mirror, looking himself over from head to foot. Pressing his abdomen, he didn’t feel anything unusual. Hesitantly he examined his genitals, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Nothing felt different. 

‘Stupid,’ Yugi thought. But it had been a valid, in its way, concern. 

Being turned into a girl would make about as much sense as getting pregnant as a man.

But that fear seemed allayed. His body looked and felt the same as ever. His penis and scrotum remained the same size and shape as before. Nothing appeared to have changed in his Adam’s apple, his chest, or even in minor details like the shape of his hands and feet. In every instance, he was still him, a man.

So relieved he almost felt giddy, Yugi redressed and went back into the bedroom. There was still the possibility that inside he was different, but he didn’t want to dwell on that.

There was only one way to know for sure. He had to have the ultrasound. He would deal with the results of it when the time came.

******

The next afternoon, Yugi’s driving suffered from his lack of focus. He ran a red light, missed his turn twice, and nearly sideswiped a car pulling into the private practice’s parking lot. He pulled into a space and cut the engine, then sat in his driver’s seat and held the wheel, telling himself to remain calm. 

Getting out of the car, he entered the building. Every step felt weighted. Every breath in his lungs felt heavy. His heart was knocking and his palms were sweating. His hand was trembling when he signed in register at the front desk.

“Hi, Yugi,” Kuribayashi greeted him before he even sat down. “We’re right on schedule today, so if you want to go ahead and come back now?”

Yugi followed the doctor, aware that the hallway seemed longer than it was, darker and narrower. He wondered if the last mile at a prison felt the same.

“I ask you this every time, but anything new crop up overnight?”

Yugi nearly told him he was having vision trouble, but he didn’t. He knew in his heart that if he backed out of this now, he’d only cause himself more trouble later on. He had to know. He had to.

“No.”

“All right, then I’ll leave you in here. Anna will be with you shortly. Go ahead and get changed into that gown then.”

Yugi nodded. Kuribayashi started to leave, then hesitated on the threshold. 

“You look pale again, and nervous. There’s nothing to an ultrasound.”

“I know.”

“Or gallstones or kidney stones. In fact, I’ll be relieved if that’s what turns up.”

“Me too.”

“Is there something you want to tell me?”

“No.”

Kuribayashi hesitated again, then nodded. “Come get me if you need anything. I’ll be in my office until 2:30.”

Yugi nodded, and the doctor left. Yugi changed into the exam gown, then sat on the table and stared at the ultrasound machine. Soon, on that screen, he would have confirmation, one way or another.

Yugi nearly left half a dozen times before Anna came in ten minutes later. Still stunningly attractive, she smiled at Yugi as she came into the room.

“Hello again, Yugi. How are you feeling this afternoon?”

“Fine,” Yugi said weakly.

“You seem nervous.”

“A little.”

Anna looked at him for a moment, then came over and perched on an exam stool, her back to the ultrasound machine. “Well, why don’t we get rid of your nervousness by learning about each other a little bit? You’re Yugi Moto, right? The Duel Monsters Card King?”

“Game King,” Yugi corrected automatically.

“Sorry. I wasn’t into that whole thing, but my boyfriend sure was. You beat him at Battle City.”

“I did?”

“I’m not surprised you don’t remember. You must have dueled hundreds of people during all that stuff, right? His name’s Toshimuri Hokusai. He was thrilled he got to duel you.”

“I’m glad.”

“I’m sure you are. Everyone always says how nice you are.”

Yugi blushed. Anna smiled. 

“And modest. How’d you get into the whole Duel Monsters thing?”

Yugi told her a bit about first discovering the game and a little about dueling the game creator, Maximillion Pegasus, of course leaving out everything involving Yami and the Puzzle. She told him about growing up in a tiny rural area and how overwhelmed she’d felt first coming to a big city like Domino. Her dream was to work in medicine since she was a little girl, and she’d finally found her calling in being an ultrasound technician, eventually coming to work with Dr. Kuribayashi after meeting him at a seminar and becoming friends.

“Which brings us neatly back to the reason you’re here,” Anna said with a smile. 

She had Yugi lay back against the upper rest of the exam table with his gown pulled up to his armpits. He felt self conscious in his boxers again, but for all Anna paid attention as she readied the machine, he could have been wearing a sweatsuit. 

“This gel here is going to feel a little cold and slimy,” Anna warned, holding up what looked kind of like a condiment bottle from a sports game. She upended it and squirted a zigzag pattern across an area of Yugi’s abdomen. It was cold and slimy and Yugi squirmed a little. 

“Here we go,” Anna said. 

She laid the wand against his stomach, then moved it around a little, smearing the gel around.

“There’s going to be quite a lot of pressure, and it can get uncomfortable,” she said. “Let me know if it actually hurts, ok?”

Yugi nodded, holding his breath. Anna was studying the screen as she pushed the wand in hard and began running it across his abdomen. The screen looked like a lot of shades of gray to Yugi. 

“Hm. I’m not seeing any obstructions in your gallbladder,” Anna said, moving the wand. “And I don’t see--”

Yugi nearly had a heart attack when she cut off and leaned closer to the machine. Heart missing beats, Yugi waited with bated breath as she moved the wand, studying the screen intently. She moved it further and then went on, her voice confused and hesitant.

“I… see something… here. It… What is that? Yugi, maybe we need to schedule an X-ray for you… Don’t panic,” she added absently as an afterthought. 

The wand moved. Yugi watched the screen, which looked a lot clearer and more sophisticated that the ultrasound pictures he’d ever seen on TV. Kuribayashi was wealthy, and his practice lucrative. He would probably have the best. Still, it didn’t look like much more than gray to Yugi, but as the wand moved, he did see something, a mass, across the screen.

“What is that?” he asked faintly.

“I’m not sure…” Anna said absently. “Maybe I should get Kentaro in here.”

Kentaro was Kuribayashi’s first name. Panicking, Yugi gasped, “No!”

Anna turned to him. Her blue eyes searched Yugi’s face. “Do you know something?”

“I-I-”

Anna turned back to the machine, then back to Yugi. Her face looked confused. 

“What do you see?” Yugi finally asked. “Tell me, please.”

Anna stared at him for a long moment, searching his face. At long last, she spoke.

“I see a baby.”

tbc...

A/N: I should prob make smaller chapters.


	6. Chapter SIx

Chapter Six:

Yugi felt his heart plummet and rise to his throat at the same time. The words, much like the test, seemed surreal, impossible, and yet, despite that, instinctively he knew it was true. The sinking feeling told him so. Anna had seen it and confirmed it. He was pregnant.

The world seemed to narrow down and focus only on the formless gray blob on the screen of the ultrasound machine. A mass that moved faintly, but without definable purpose. Yugi wasn’t sure if the movement was Anna’s hand moving the wand, or the faint susurrations of his abdomen as his diaphragm pulled air into his lungs.

The mass suddenly disappeared as Anna removed the wand. Almost automatically she turned the machine off though her eyes never left Yugi’s face. She had a hard, calculating expression on hers as she searched his. Yugi couldn’t speak. His mouth was dry and his tongue unresponsive. 

“How did you do it?” Anna asked suddenly.

Yugi managed to get his tongue unglued. “Wh-What?”

“The joke.”

“What?” Yugi repeated.

Anna fixed him with a penetrating stare. “Is Kentaro in on it? I don’t know why he’d do this… or how… but it’s not funny!”

“No, it’s not,” Yugi whispered. He looked at the dark monitor again and pressed his hand over his stomach, ignoring the slimy lubricant.

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Anna said in a different tone. “Oh, my god, you’re really serious!”

She shocked Yugi by leaning forward and grabbing his crotch. Yugi yelped and nearly fell off the table. Anna jerked her hand back and whitened. Yugi, clutching the edges of the exam table, pressed back against the backrest, stared at her.

“What the hell was that?!”

“I--I thought--I--Oh, god, you’re really--” Anna looked sick. She stood up so fast that she knocked over her stool. “What the hell is going on here?!”

She headed for the door. Desperate, Yugi grabbed her wrist. 

“No, please, don’t tell anyone!”

Anna, pulled up short, looked down at him. Yugi held her wrist with both hands now, looking up in her eyes. “Please,” he whispered. “Please, don’t tell anyone, do you know what will happen to me if you do?”

“What?”

Not expecting that answer, Yugi stumbled over his own. “I… Well, the movies… Won’t the government come and take me somewhere?”

Anna started laughing, a little hysterically, but Yugi held on to her wrist, his desperation growing. She stopped laughing abruptly. “I don’t know,” she said. 

“Please,” Yugi repeated. He felt very near tears again, sick to death with fear and disbelief. “Please don’t.’

Anna continued to stare at him. “How did this happen?”

“I don’t know!” Yugi cried. “I didn’t know-- I mean, I wasn’t sure-- And then on the monitor…”

Yugi’s stomach, whether responding to his inner turmoil or just being mean to him, suddenly heaved. Yugi released Anna’s arm, rolled off the exam table, and threw up in the trash can in the corner of the room. Clutching the sides of the metal wastebasket, coughing, he heaved again. Then, throat and abdominals aching, he slumped back against the wall. 

“Here.”

Startled, Yugi saw that Anna was holding a small, paper Dixie cup of water. He took it and rinsed his mouth, having no choice but to spit into the wastebasket. Still slumped on his butt against the wall, oblivious to the fact that he wore only boxers and a paper gown hardly better than a large bib, Yugi tried to wrap his head around the situation completely. What was he going to do? If Anna walked out of here and told Kuribayashi or anyone else, the news would surely spread. And Yugi wasn’t sure how much stock to put behind the idea of being hauled off for examining by the government. 

Anna squatted on her haunches in front of him, wrapping her arms around her bent knees, and stared at him. 

“Morning sickness?” she asked, her voice sounding like she was trying to be off-handed.

“I guess,” Yugi said, aware of how hoarse and hollow his voice sounded. 

“Kentaro said you were coming to him with nausea, but weight gain despite throwing up a lot, fatigue… Have you been having any mood swings?”

Yugi nodded weakly.

“How did this happen?” she asked again.

“I don’t know,” Yugi repeated. He shivered and drew his legs up and wrapped his arms around them, hugging himself despite his complaining stomach. “I… When all this started happening, I went to one of those online diagnosing sites, you know, those ones that…?” Anna nodded and Yugi continued. “I put in what I was experiencing, and it… it said I was pregnant. I laughed, of course, I thought it was crazy, but when everything kept happening and I started gaining weight, I… I went and bought a pregnancy test.”

“You did?”

Yugi blushed, despite the situation. “I know it was stupid. But--”

“Apparently not so stupid,” Anna muttered. “Go on.”

“It said positive.”

“But you told Kentaro you wanted an X-ray.”

“I didn’t believe it at first,” Yugi admitted. “I thought I was crazy for even getting it in the first place. He’s the one who suggested gallstones and an ultrasound, and I just jumped on that as being really what was happening to me.”

“So, you don’t know how this happened?”

“No! I mean, how could I? It’s--It’s crazy.”

Anna was silent for a long moment. Too long, for Yugi started to get nervous again.

“You aren’t going to tell anyone, are you?”

“I don’t know what to do,” Anna admitted. “A positive pregnancy test in a man usually means--”

“Testicular cancer, I know. I looked it up.”

“Except it obviously isn’t.” Anna raised her head, then suddenly straightened to her feet. “Get back on the table. This is impossible. I need to look again.”

Yugi hesitated, then slowly climbed to his feet. He climbed back up on to the exam table. Anna set her stool upright, flicking on the ultrasound machine as she did so, and sat down, reaching over and flipping Yugi’s gown up with doctorial detachment, though it peeled off his gel-slimed stomach with an unpleasant sensation. Anna picked up the wand and applied more gel to Yugi’s abdomen. As she did so, she poked him lightly with the end of the wand.

“You have a bump,” she said, again sounding like she was struggling to keep herself from losing it.

“I know,” Yugi responded in the exact same tone.

Anna’s eyes raised to his briefly before she set the bottle of gel down and put the wand back into place. The gray nothingness returned to the monitor and she turned her attention to it, running the wand along Yugi’s lower belly. She stopped again as the shapeless gray mass returned. 

“It’s there,” she said after a long pause. 

Yugi groaned and let his head thunk back against the headrest. He closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth, struggling to not cry. What was he going to do?!

“Kentaro might be able--”

“No!” Yugi cried, raising his head and opening his eyes. “Please, don’t tell anyone.”

“But, Yugi, I don’t know what to do.”

“Me either,” Yugi said desperately. “But--” He broke off, unsure how to finish the sentence. Tears stung his eyes.

Anna studied his face. At last she said, “If I don’t tell him, what do you think you’re going to do?”

“I don’t know!”

“If this really is a baby… Yugi, it’s going to keep growing.”

“I know.”

“And you’re not equipped to have one.”

“I know!” Then, remembering the terrible fear he’d had in the hallway at the mansion, he asked shakily, “Where is it?”

“Where is what?”

“The baby! Where is it… inside?”

Anna stared at him again, then looked at the monitor. She reached out with her other hand and pressed her first two fingers against Yugi’s abdomen, just below his bellybutton. “Here. About where it should be in a woman.”

Heart pounding, Yugi licked his lips and tried again. “I meant… Where is it… How is it in there? If… If I don’t have a uterus.”

She looked at him again. Apparently seeing the nearly frantic expression on his face, she looked at the monitor again and said, “I… I think it’s ectopic.” 

“What does that mean?” 

“An ectopic pregnancy is where the egg doesn’t make it all the way down into the uterus after fertilization to attach to the uterine lining. The egg instead attaches to the wall of the fallopian tube and begins to grow there.”

“How can it do that?”

“It just happens sometimes.”

“And in me…?”

Anna hesitated. “I think… it’s in your abdominal cavity. That can happen sometimes, too, even in women. No one knows how for sure, just that it does sometimes. It attaches to another organ, and if it can get sufficient blood supply, it can continue developing. Yours appears to have… to have done that. It’s here, in your abdominal cavity, attached to your liver.”

“How?”

“How do I know?!” Anna raised the wand and waved it erratically. “How do I know how any of this is happening? I’m just telling you what it looks like.”

A knock on the door of the room made Yugi’s heart stop completely. Anna looked up as Kuribayashi opened the door and stuck his head inside.

“Is everything okay?” he asked. “You’ve been in here a long time.”

Yugi looked at Anna, his skin cold with fear. She glanced at him for a second before speaking to Kuribayashi.

“Just making extra sure of myself. I don’t see any gallstones, Doctor. Or kidney stones. I don’t think it’s going to be that simple.”

Yugi stared at her, hardly daring to believe it. Was she not going to tell?

Kuribayashi sighed, and nodded. “I didn’t think so. Don’t worry, Yugi, we’ll find out what’s going.”

Yugi only nodded, mouth dry, hardly daring to believe. Kuribayashi made a note on his ever-present clipboard. “I have your appointment for a full X-ray at Domino General on Friday the Fifteenth, one week from now. 4:15. Is that okay?”

Yugi nodded again. 

“Okay. I’ll go make some notes in your patient file. The nurse at the desk will have your appointment card ready for you, when you’re ready to go. I have another appointment in a few minutes, so I won’t be able to see you out.”

“That’s fine,” Yugi managed.

Dr. Kuribayashi shut the door. Yugi turned to Anna.

“You didn’t tell him.”

“You told me not to.”

“I know. I just thought… that you would.”

Anna sighed and turned off the ultrasound machine again. She wiped the wand and set it back where it belonged, then handed the wipe to Yugi. He cleaned the gel lubricant off his stomach as Anna wheeled back a bit and sat with her back hunched, elbows on her thighs, watching him intently.

“I honestly don’t know what would happen to you if I told someone. Certainly this would cause a media sensation.”

Yugi paled, clutching the rag tightly. 

“The medical community, the scientific community in general, would love to study you, find out how this happened. How a male became impregnated.”

Yugi could have told her it was magic, but he was afraid that would completely destroy any tentative possibility she was on his side. She would think he was indeed playing some sort of trick on her, or think the stress of finding out he was pregnant had made him crack, or something. So, and because he wasn’t entirely sure exactly how it had worked out, he said, “I don’t know how.”

“You’re gay, aren’t you?”

Surprised, Yugi looked up. “Well… yeah. But what--”

“I meant, this didn’t happen just with you. Whoever your boyfriend is… are you going to tell him?”

Yugi choked at the thought of telling Seto he had gotten him pregnant. “No!”

Anna frowned. “But then--”

“No. I can’t. This is… I mean, it’s…!”

Yugi was unable to find a suitable word, but Anna nodded.

“Yeah.”

“So, I can’t.”

Anna studied him intently. “It isn’t Kaiba, is it?”

Yugi dropped the rag. “How-- I mean, what makes you think that?”

Anna rolled her eyes. “I may not have paid that much attention to Duel Monsters, but I know you two weren’t known for being exactly the best of friends. But now you’re here, seeing his doctor, on his dime. So, that whole thing was a farce, right, a front?”

“Um, not exactly.” As she continued to stare at him, he fidgeted. “You aren’t going to tell him, are you?”

“No. That’s your job.”

“But I can’t!”

Anna sighed and blew out a breath that stirred her bangs. “Okay, okay. Hey, if a girl can come in here and beg me not to tell her boyfriend she’s pregnant, why can’t a guy ask me not to tell his boyfriend?” She scrubbed her hand across her eyes like she was weary. “This is going to make me need some serious therapy.”

Yugi didn’t know what to say to that. He could appreciate the sentiment.

“First thing’s first,” Anna said, dropping her hand and fixing him with a pointed look. “You can’t have the X-ray. It’ll show up as an unidentified mass, even as small as it is. And you didn’t want anyone to know.”

“How do I cancel the appointment, without Dr. Kuribayashi asking me why?”

Anna thought for a minute, then said, “Just get sick. You’re sick all the time anyway, Kentaro won’t be surprised if you tell him you feel too ill to go. He’ll just reschedule it, of course, but you can put it off as much as you need to, until we get it over with.”

“What over with?”

“The abortion, of course.”

Yugi’s mouth worked, but no sound came out. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Abortion?” he squeaked.

“It won’t be quite as simple as a regular abortion, of course, but abdominal ectopic pregnancies are not impossible. A doctor will be able to remove it without too much trouble. You’re not too terribly far along.”

“An abortion?” Yugi repeated.

“I know, you’re worried someone will notice. I don’t know what to tell you. You’re not too far along, but the doctor who removes it will have to see it. In fact, I don’t know how you’re going to pull this off without that media and science circus. A surgeon will have to complete the operation, and--”

“What about that confidentiality thing? Doctor-patient privilege, or whatever it is.”

Anna smiled, but sadly. “Yugi, doctors are humans. How do you think anything ever gets out, even with restrictions in place?”

Yugi slumped, disappointed, but not surprised. It was probably a feeble hope anyway. The doctor-patient privilege probably was generally viewed as sacred, but with something like this… 

“How much time do I have to make a decision?”

Anna frowned. “What do you mean? You should get this done with as soon as possible.”

“I need to think.”

Anna looked uncertain, but she shrugged. “I don’t know. You’re about eleven, twelve weeks along, right? You told Kentaro you’ve been sick for about five weeks, right? Morning sickness generally happens between the sixth and twelfth weeks. So, you have to be about three months along. Um, assuming we can expect anything like normal reactions here.”

That fit. The statue mishap had happened about three months ago. 

“So, how long?” 

Anna shrugged helplessly. “The fetus appears to be alive to me. If it stays that way, you don’t want it growing much more. The longer you wait, the harder the surgery is going to be. And if it dies, well, you’ll still need to get it removed immediately.”

“Dies?”

“Don’t be too naïve, Yugi. Abdominal ectopic pregnancies happen, but they’re really dangerous. It’s not meant to happen, after all. The baby has no support, none of the proper systems in place for it to grow. While the amniotic sac can be supported by the peritoneum, and the blood supply can come from an attachment to other organs, that’s short term, and ectopic pregnancies are 40-95% more likely to fail. Once the fetus in you dies, you won’t go into labor-- a woman wouldn’t either--and that can lead to even more problems for you. It’s possible you’ll wind up with a lithopedion, but that has its own problems. What do you need to think about? You need to get this done as soon as possible.”

Yugi almost asked what a lithopedion was, but decided he probably didn’t want to know. “I just need to think. Get my head around this. Maybe… Maybe there’s some way to get the surgery done without everyone knowing about it.”

Anna stared at him intently some more, then said, “You’d better go ahead and get dressed, so Kentaro doesn’t come looking for you again. If you need time to think, you’d better get it done in the next couple of weeks. I wouldn’t dare take longer than that. Why don’t you come back for another ultrasound then? I’ll be able to see if the fetus is alive or dead, and then we can make a further decision then.”

Yugi tried not to think about it dying. “You really are going to help me?”

Anna sighed and stood up. “What else would I do? Go and tell everyone and ruin your life? I think it’s pretty much messed up already. I can’t do that to you. My conscience won’t let me.”

Yugi felt almost faint with relief. “Thank you,” he gasped with feeling.

Anna smiled and patted his arm. “I can’t imagine what you must be going through. Unplanned pregnancies are bad enough for women, but at least we are supposed to get pregnant! No one flips out and sticks a camera in our faces. Although, I am curious how this happened.”

“No idea,” Yugi said, though he knew that wasn’t true. It was a spell on that Tawaret statue, he was sure of it. Although he wasn’t sue how it had gotten him pregnant without changing him, and he was unlikely to ever know for sure. So, maybe it wasn’t entirely a lie after all.

“I wonder what gametes were used?” Anna mused. “As a male, you don’t produce egg cells. Although what really matters are the x and y chromosomes. You do carry those, and Kaiba, too, from your parents. Could you somehow have bypassed the egg and sperm carriers and went just to the chromosomes? But that’s just sex-determining DNA. What cell began splitting, and how did it change its nature?”

Yugi’s anxiety began to return as she started sounding like a scientist trying to solve a interesting conundrum. It must have shown on his face, because she patted his arm again. 

“I’m not going to tell! But you have to admit, it’s a fascinating situation.”

“I guess,” Yugi said, without enthusiasm.

“Sorry. Get dressed, then take your appointment card like normal. But you’d better think fast if you’re going to put this off.”

Yugi slid off the table and stood. “Isn’t there any way to not see a surgeon? Or at least, see someone who won’t tell?”

“I don’t see how. Where would you go, a back alley abortionist? That’s even more dangerous.”

Yugi had nothing to say to that, expect, “Could you try to find out? Please?”

Anna nodded. “I promise, I will. Come back for another ultrasound as soon as you’ve gotten through what you need to think about.”

Yugi thanked her and she left. He dressed himself and left the exam room, going to the desk and receiving his appointment card. As he left and got into his car, he wondered if there really could possibly be a way to see a doctor who wouldn’t tell the whole world what was going on. He didn’t think so. But as he thought about it, he wondered; if this had happened by magic, could magic undo it?

That would require talking to Yami. He might not know, but he might have an idea how to find out. But that would mean Yugi would have to tell him what was happening.

Suddenly, he wanted to. He wanted someone to know, someone he knew and could trust and could talk to about it. Yami was his other half, and Yugi could talk to him about anything. He couldn’t handle this on his own. 

Yugi changed directions before his nerve ran out. He drove to the apartment Yami shared with Joey and pulled into the lot, turning off the engine and climbing out. He walked up to the front door and knocked and in a few seconds, Yami answered the door.

“Aibou. Hello.”

Seeing Yami smiling at him, suddenly everything crashed in and Yugi couldn’t hold out anymore. Everything had happened suddenly broke through the fog of surrealism and it was all too real. Yugi burst into tears. 

“Aibou! What’s wrong?!”

Yami shut the door and put his arms around Yugi, and Yugi gratefully hugged him ferociously, burying his face into Yami’s shoulder and sobbing uncontrollably. Yami held him and rubbed his back, making soothing noises and trying to get him to tell him what was wrong. Shaking, Yugi lifted his head and sniffled heavily, wiping his cheeks. 

“What’s going on?”

It was Joey. Yugi hadn’t realized he was home. For a moment his nerve failed him, but at the twin looks of worry on their faces, he knew he had to tell them. 

Taking a deep breath, he blurted out, “I’m pregnant.”

tbc...


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven:

Ten minutes later, he was sitting on the couch in their living room, taking a cup of cold, iced tea from Yami. He sipped it, checked his stomach, and decided he could keep it down. Anna had said morning sickness generally ranged from six to twelve weeks, so maybe his was coming to an end and he’d be able to eat again. That would be a huge relief.

Yami sat down next to him, while Joey sat perched on the edge of the recliner at an angle to the couch. Neither of them had said a word since Yami had told him to sit down and asked if he wanted some tea. Now they sat and stared at him for a moment, before Joey finally ventured, “Um… what did you say out in the hall, Yug’?”

Yugi took another drink of tea to fortify himself, then set it on a coaster and sat, hands pressed palm-to-palm between his knees, eyes on the floor. He licked his lips, then told them everything from start to finish. When he was done, heavy silence greeted him. Finally he couldn’t take it anymore and he looked up. Joey was staring at him as if he’d just announced he was moving to Saturn and Yami looked equally surprised, but also horrified, as if he knew Yugi was telling the truth and not mistaken.

“You’re… pregnant?” Joey asked finally.

Yugi nodded. 

“The statue made you pregnant?”

Yugi nodded again.

“So--”

“Yes, he said he’s pregnant, Joey,” Yami cut in. Turning to Yugi, he said, “Aibou… are you certain?”

“I’m sure, Yami. There’s… It was there on the ultrasound.”

Joey blew his breath out in a long, sustained noise that sounded like air being let out of a tire. He slumped back in his recliner, looking confounded. Yami looked across the room at the wall, looking about as bewildered. Yugi bit his lip and looked down at the floor again.

“What are you going to do, Aibou?” Yami asked.

Yugi began to cry again. “I don’t know!” he wailed. Putting his face in his hands, he shook his head rapidly. “I don’t know! I don’t even know what to think!”

Yugi felt Yami put his arms around him again, and he leaned sideways into his chest, his hands still over his face. Yami held him until he got control of himself, cheek against the back of Yugi’s head, hand rubbing his back in an attempt to console him. Finally Yugi got hold of himself and raised up, sniffling and hiccupping.

“Hey, Yug’…” Yugi looked up, wiping tears from his cheeks. Joey was leaning forward again, face grave. “Well, I gotta know…”

“Yes, Joey?”

“You are a *guy*, right?”

Yugi stared at him. Yami did, too. Joey stared back at Yugi, eyes boring into his, before his serious expression began to crack and he started to grin. Yugi, shocked, began to laugh.

“Well, I mean, I’ve never seen,” Joey went on. “But, you know, maybe I ought to check. It’s purely scientific, of course.”

“Joey!” Yami exclaimed.

Yugi was now laughing so hard it hurt. Joey turned to Yami, still grinning.

“Come on, Babe, it’s just science,” he said. “Go on, Yug’, strip. If you wanna throw in a sexy little dance, that’s okay, too.”

A couch pillow sailed across the room, which Joey easily batted from the air to the floor. Yugi clutched a stitch in his side. The last few days, and especially the last few hours, had been so filled with tension and dread, that this had caught him well and truly off-guard, and it felt great to laugh. Trust Joey to ease the situation with humor, again. 

Soon enough, they all sobered again. Yugi turned to Yami and asked him how it was possible that the statue had made him able to get pregnant.

“I suppose anything is possible with magic,” Yami said carefully. “The statuette of Tawaret must have been designed and enchanted by someone to allow the user to become pregnant with the aid of a spell. Likely it knew no gender or anything else, and just worked when invoked.”

Which was what Yugi had thought. 

“Pretty irresponsible to make the thing that invokes it just its name,” Joey grumbled. “What if a little kid had picked it up? Hell, look what it did to a guy.”

Yami nodded. “Back in Egypt, its use was probably strictly overseen, and it never left the possession of its creator. In my day, our culture was rigidly structured and regulated, especially when it came to magic and anything involving the gods. I doubt it changed that much when this statue was created. But perhaps some calamity befell them and the statue was lost, or else its purpose and the dangers it held were lost to memory over the years, and so no one knew what it could do any longer.”

“I guess,” Joey muttered grudgingly. Then suddenly he seemed to have a horrible thought, because his face faulted and he went white. “Hey… I touched that thing, too! It shocked me, too! Could I be-- Am I--”

Joey looked like he was going to be sick or faint or both. He couldn’t even finish his sentence. But Yugi shook his head, quick to reassure him.

“Have you been getting sick any? Gained any weight? Had any weird mood changes or anything like that? I don’t think so, so I don’t think you are.”

“I don’t either,” Yami said. “Aibou, you mentioned feeling very sexual that night, but not since. Joey was the same way, as I recall.”

“Say, yeah,” Joey agreed. “I felt very weird, really turned on.”

“Me, too,” Yugi admitted. “But once it was morning, I didn’t feel that way anymore.”

“Yes. I believe it was a one night application. Once a tryst was complete, the enchantment abated, its purpose served.”

“Yeah, but, we did--”

“Yes, but you were dominant that night, Joey.”

Yugi felt himself blushing to the roots of his hair. Joey cleared his throat in embarrassment. Yami, as always upfront and unabashed, didn’t look the least bit discomfited. 

“The magic of the statue likely no longer affects you,” he continued. “I have been on top since, and you have not presented any signs like Aibou has.”

Yugi squirmed and Joey was examining the side table beside his chair. He raised his hand and coughed into it pointedly.

“Uh, right. Anyway… Yug’, what are you going to do?” 

“Are you going to tell Kaiba, Aibou?” Yami asked delicately.

“No! I mean, how can I? I don’t know what he’d say, what he’d do. He’ll… He’ll…” Yugi stammered, too many possibilities of the brunette’s reaction filling his mind that he faltered. “I just can’t,” he finished lamely. “I want to get this over with without him ever knowing.”

Joey hesitated, then said uncertainly, “Are you really going to have an abortion?”

“I don’t know,” Yugi admitted, unconsciously drawing his legs up as he pressed into the corner of the couch. He wrapped his arms around his legs and bit his lip. “I never really thought much about abortion. I mean, I guess I’ve kind of always been against it, but it never really affected me, so I never thought about it. Now… I don’t know. I guess I have to, don’t I?”

Joey and Yami both nodded, though they looked equally uncomfortable. 

“Yeah, I guess,” Joey said haltingly. “I mean, what are you going to do, have it?”

******

Seto studied Yugi surreptitiously over the dinner table. His diminutive lover had been reserved all evening, hardly saying anything since the moment Seto had gotten home, which was unusual. He had greeted Seto with the customary kiss and question about his day, but he’d seemed distracted when Seto responded, and had been distant since. Seto had tried to get him to tell him about his appointment with Dr. Kuribayashi, disconcerted when Yugi had muttered noncommittally and changed the subject. He wanted to press the issue, but Yugi’s temper had been abnormally volatile lately, and he didn’t want their conversation, no matter how stilted, to devolve into an argument.

Yugi was picking at his food as Seto surveyed him. Seto wasn’t sure if it had to do with his touch-and-go stomach, or something else. Yugi seemed well enough, with color in his cheeks and an alert gaze, so his problem seemed to be emotional rather than physical. What had happened there at that doctor’s office?

Had he… received bad news? The worst news?

Mokuba seemed to notice Yugi’s preoccupation as well. After trying and failing to engage Yugi in conversation about a new version of the duel disk that would allow players to connect online to duel all across the globe, he’d subsided, shooting worried glances at Yugi through the rest of the meal.

Because of this oppressive atmosphere, dinner was shorter than usual, even by Seto’s standards, and they parted ways. Mokuba went to get on the computer, as he did most evenings of the week, and Yugi wandered upstairs without a word. Seto initially attempted to continue on with his usual nightly business tasks, but finally he gave up and went to find Yugi. He found him in their shared bedroom, in the bathroom, soaking in the tub. He rarely took a genuine bath, but every once in a while enjoyed a long, luxurious bubble-bath soak. As he had left the door half-open to foil a build in steam, Seto pushed it open and went inside, seeing him propped against the inside of the tub, looking off into the middle distance in front of the faucet, absentmindedly stroking his stomach and looking pensive. 

“Yugi?”

Yugi looked up, blinking himself back to reality. “Oh. Hi, Seto.”

“What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

Seto gave him a look and settled himself on the closed toilet lid. “You’ve been acting strange all night. Mokuba noticed it, too. And I know you had your appointment with Kuribayashi today, so don’t pretend you didn’t. What happened there?”

Yugi bit his lip and looked away, looking briefly panicky. He seemed to be searching for something to say, and Seto was surprised to realize he believed Yugi was going to lie to him.

“It was fine,” Yugi said weakly. “Why do you ask?”

“Yugi.”

Seto said it so reprovingly that Yugi looked up at him with an almost guilty expression. 

“Don’t play games. Don’t hold stuff back because you think it will upset me. You know me better than that. You know I don’t appreciate it, so tell me what happened.”

Yugi sighed and slumped back further into the bath, looking drawn. “It wasn’t kidney or gallstones,” he said finally. 

Seto started to ask him how that could upset him that much, when he understood. It might have checked something else off the list, only to leave Yugi still with no answers. And with worse and worse prospects. The idea of a tumor or cancer seemed more and more likely with each negative test return. 

Seto sat in silence, looking away himself and at the bathroom rug beneath his feet. At times like this, when he thought about this, he just wanted to break something. He wanted to hurt something. Take out all his frustration--and, truly, fear--on something. 

“I’m taking you to a different doctor,” he said.

Yugi looked up. “What? No. I like Dr. Kuri--”

“He obviously has no idea what he’s doing,” Seto said stubbornly. “Someone better would have found out something by now.”

“Seto--”

“Someone with more medical degrees, maybe,” Seto went on. “A larger practice, or more years experience--”

“Seto, stop being so ridiculous.”

Seto looked at him in surprise. Yugi was frowning at him from the tub, but even as Seto looked back at him, his expression softened and he leaned forward and reached out, resting a damp hand on the back of Seto’s. 

“Listen to me,” he said. “I know this is how you deal. You try to force it, make it what you want. But it doesn’t work that way.”

Seto glared at the sink. 

“Now, I want to stay with Dr. Kuribayashi,” Yugi said, with a touch of the implacable firmness he was capable of when he really meant it. “I like him. I trust him. And… it’ll all work out. You’ll see.”

Seto felt stupid, being comforted by Yugi when it was Yugi who was facing down any number of horrific diagnoses. Seto should have been the one comforting him. But he’d never been good at that, and Yugi always had been. 

“Fine,” was all he said.

Yugi smiled, still touching his hand. “I love you, you know that, right?”

“Of course I do,” Seto snapped impatiently. He sighed, and added, “I love you, too.”

Yugi squeezed his hand. He looked brooding and worried again, and he drew back leaned back in the tub again, his other hand still randomly rubbing at his stomach. Seto looked at him for a long time, but he could see nothing different or wrong with him. Whatever this was, it was insidious, hiding away in Yugi, invisible, and so far undetectable. 

Seto got to his feet and left the bathroom. He went back to his office and forced himself through all of his nightly tasks, trying to take his mind off of it with more and more work. Yugi did not come to make him stop and Seto gladly gave himself over to each task with a single-minded determination. Finally, though, when the clock told him it was a quarter past one, Seto had done everything he’d needed to do for that night, and the next night as well, completing stuff even he knew could have been put off for several days, and there was nothing left. Defeated, Seto stood, wincing at the kinks in his back and knees, and stretched, before turning out the light and returning to their bedroom, walking on cat’s paws so as not to wake Yugi if he was asleep.

He was, beneath the covers, the moonlight streaming in through the open curtains lighting him up sufficiently for Seto’s now dark-adapted eyes to see even the details of his features. Undressing and silently redressing in some pajamas, Seto eased his way into bed and then lay on his elbow, watching Yugi sleep, the moon silvering his already pale skin to an ethereal luster. 

‘Don’t worry, Yugi,’ Seto thought silently. ‘Whatever this is, whatever’s hurting you, I’ll beat it. Somehow. I promise.’

tbc...


	8. Chaper Eight

Chapter Eight:

Yugi glanced up as Seto leaned over him and put a bottle of expensive champagne on the table in front of him. It was fairly late, almost seven-thirty, but Yugi hadn’t gotten home from orientation at the community college until seven. He’d signed up and paid to take some elective classes for fun almost two months ago, about a week before he’d started vomiting, and had almost forgotten about it in the face of what had happened until a voicemail on his phone had reminded him. So, Yugi was just finishing a dinner alone in the dining room, just about done when Seto had walked into the room and set the bottle down beside his plate. As he looked up, Seto pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“Oh, Seto, hi! I’m sorry, if I’d known you’d be home--”

“Don’t worry about it,” Seto said. His eyes swept the small collection of plates in front of Yugi and he smiled. “You’re eating better.”

Yugi nodded. In the last few days, he hadn’t felt any nausea at all. As Anna had predicted, at just over fourteen weeks, he was getting past the morning sickness. At least the worst of it. 

Yugi indicated the bottle of champagne as he set his chopsticks down on his plate. “What’s that for?”

Seto took his hand and pulled him up out of his chair. “For us. Come on, come with me.”

Seto picked up the bottle with his other hand, pulling a bemused Yugi out of the dining room and toward the stairs. Up in the bedroom, the air was fragrant with the scent of hot fudge. On the table beside the bed was a small covered plate, a bucket of ice, and a pair of champagne glasses. There were candles on the headboard, on the nightstand, and on the dresser, already lit. As Yugi blinked in surprise, Seto turned off the lights, leaving the room flickering with firelight. 

“Seto, what--”

Seto offered no explanation, just reaching out and wrapping his arm around Yugi’s waist, pulling him up against him and bending his head to kiss him. Yugi melted into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Seto’s neck and returning the kiss. He parted his lips and Seto darted his tongue into his mouth, making him moan. 

The kiss went on for a while, but when Seto finally drew back, it seemed all too soon. As Seto straightened up and Yugi settled back onto his heels, he looked up at him with a smile. Seto smiled back a little and released him, walking over to the bedside table and setting the champagne bottle down. He took ice from the bucket put a few cubes into each of the glasses, then poured in champagne before digging the bottle into the rest of the ice. 

Yugi walked over, taking the proffered glass Seto held out to him. He studied the golden, bubbling liquid for a long moment. He knew he shouldn’t drink while he was pregnant, though he had heard a little was ok. And did it really matter?

Yugi grinned as Seto lightly clinked his own filled glass against his and they both took a sip. Yugi sat down on the edge of the bed and Seto sat down next to him, setting his glass down and picking up the small covered plate from which was emanating the delicious smell of hot fudge. Sure enough, when Seto lifted the lid, on the plate was a small chocolate volcano cake, still warm. He picked up the small cake fork on the plate and cut off a corner of the cake, then held it out to Yugi. Surprised, Yugi opened his mouth and let him feed it to him. The cake was ridiculously rich and utterly delicious. Yugi swallowed and licked his lips.

“That’s great.”

Seto smirked and took another piece of the cake for himself, then set the fork on the plate and picked up his glass for another sip of champagne. Yugi grinned and took the fork and cut off another piece of the cake, popping it into his mouth. Seto set his glass and the plate on the side table and turned back to Yugi, wrapping his arms around his waist and bending his head to start kissing his neck. Yugi gasped, letting the fork drop to the floor and spilling his champagne a little, which neither of them paid attention to. Seto raised his head and claimed Yugi’s mouth in a deep, thorough kiss. Yugi wound his arms around Seto’s neck and kissed him back, managing to keep the champagne glass more or less straight even though they were tilting backward slowly, unhurriedly, Seto’s hands tugging Yugi’s shirt out of his pants. The feel of his warm hands on his skin made Yugi shiver and remove his arms from Seto’s neck, laying back and managing to keep the champagne glass upright. Seto took it away and set it on the side table before coming back to lay over Yugi and take his mouth in another kiss.

Slowly Yugi’s shirt came off and he trembled at the feeling of Seto’s lips wandering along his bare chest. He reached down, stroking his fingers through Seto’s hair as he brushed his nipples with feather soft kisses. Seto’s hands encountered his pants and he sat up to work the fastenings loose and slide them off, leaving his boxers on. Yugi pushed up onto his hands and kissed him as he turned back to him. Seto cupped his cheek and kissed him back, his other hand dropping to Yugi’s thigh and sliding slowly upward. Their tongues twined together, Yugi growing impatient and reaching down to force Seto’s hand between his legs. He felt Seto smile against his lips, his hand cupping him and rubbing. Yugi moaned, arching up, pulling him more tightly against him. 

Seto broke the kiss and guided Yugi to turn around and lay down properly on the bed with his head on the pillow. Yugi reached over to the side table, dipping his fingers into the chocolate pooling around what was left of the cake, then rested them against Seto’s lips. He watched with heavily-lidded eyes as Seto opened his mouth and drew his fingers inside, slowly sucking off the chocolate sauce. The sight sent arousal racing through his nerves and he brought both hands to Seto’s chest, working the buttons of his shirt loose, untying the tie, pushing the material off his shoulders. Seto lay beside him after removing the shirt, cupping his face and kissing him again. As they made out, his hand trailed down Yugi’s chest to his stomach.

Yugi gasped, breaking the kiss. Seto blinked in confusion, looking down at him, his hand still resting against his belly. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Yugi searched the darkened blue eyes, realizing that Seto noticed nothing different. “No-Nothing,” he said hesitantly.

Seto frowned, hand rubbing his stomach gently. “Are you sick?”

Yugi shook his head, relieved that, to Seto, there was no change to his body. “No, not at all.” He reached up and threaded his fingers through Seto’s hair, drawing his face to his. 

Seto seemed reluctant, but as Yugi worked his mouth open and delved his tongue inside, he became enthusiastic again, hand continuing down, pushing down Yugi’s boxers until it could wrap around his erection and stroke. Yugi groaned, nipping Seto’s bottom lip, then broke the kiss to kiss and mark his neck. 

At last, Seto stopped his teasing and drew out of Yugi’s arms, sitting up on his haunches and reaching to take Yugi’s boxers off. He removed his own pants and underwear shortly afterwards, before reaching to the night stand and rummaging in the drawer for the lube. As he opened it and poured some onto his fingers, Yugi shifted comfortably and spread his legs, before taking Seto’s free hand in his. As the first finger slid inside, he drew the other up to his mouth, closing his eyes and softly kissing each finger pad, licking and suckling at each of Seto’s fingers.

“You make it difficult to concentrate when you do that,” Seto said as he pressed in the second finger.

“Mmm!” Yugi grunted, arching up as they curled and pressed his sweet spot. “Uhn… yet somehow you manage,” he retorted.

The third finger was added and Yugi groaned as they stretched him, nudging his sweet spot so wonderfully he quaked. He was kissing Seto’s palm now, but Seto jerked his hand back and replaced it with his mouth, kissing Yugi so hard his lips were sure to bruise. The other fingers were removed and Seto’s weight descended on him, crushing him delightfully into the mattress as Seto relaxed on him for another moment of making out. Yugi hooked his legs around Seto’s waist, fingers playing along his back and arms, the heel of one foot idly rubbing at the back of his thigh.

Seto shifted at length and broke the kiss, rising up to move into position. Yugi gripped his upper arms and groaned as he began to fill him, turning his cheek against the pillow and squeezing his eyes shut. He felt Seto’s hot breath against his ear as he paused to allow him to adjust. Yugi squeezed with his legs to urge him on and the rhythm began, slow and unhurried as if they had all night, and they did. 

Yugi turned his face back to Seto’s, watching his dark eyes look back at him as they rocked together, each thrust sending a tingle of pleasure along Yugi’s spine. They kissed lazily again, then Seto sped up his movements, making Yugi dig his fingers into his arms. He cried out, pressing his head back against the pillow, then reached down and began stroking himself, shuddering as the pressure built. 

“Oh, god,” Yugi muttered. “Seto!”

He heard Seto growl in answer in his ear, the two of them moving together towards the end. He ran a hand down Seto’s back, feeling the muscles bunching beneath the sweat-slicked skin, then clung onto him as the pleasure began to overwhelm him. He rubbed himself desperately, each powerful thrust of Seto’s hips pushing him closer and closer to the edge.

The end snapped over him and he screamed, coming over his stomach as Seto joined him a second later. They collapsed, Seto squashing him, the both of them gasping for breath. At last, Seto shifted around and slid off of him, laying down on his side beside him. Yugi made a half-hearted attempt at cleaning them off with part of the sheet, then gave up. 

A few minutes later, they were still tangled together, but propped up on the multiple pillows, sipping champagne and polishing off the rest of the cake. Seto even let Yugi feed him. 

As they cuddled together and chatted idly, Yugi didn’t ask what had brought on the sudden romantic evening. There didn’t need to be a reason, and there probably wasn’t one. He was just content to snuggle with Seto before they fell asleep and enjoy himself.

But no matter how much he was pleasantly distracted by Seto, in the back of his mind he knew his two weeks was almost up. Anna had called his cell phone three times, and he had not taken any of the calls. He was still sorting through his thoughts, but he didn’t have much longer, and he would have to make a decision he’d have to live with for the rest of his life.

******

Yugi pushed open the door to the mansion, hanging his key ring on one of the hooks inside the underground garage, and closed the door. He walked down the short hallway connecting it to the front entrance foyer, pulled open the door, and nearly tripped over a small fleet of overnight bags and other luggage sitting at the ready by the doorway.

“Sorry, Master Moto,” a maid said, belatedly hurrying over to move the bags away from the door. 

“Is that the last of them?” Seto asked, coming down the stairs.

“Yes, sir.”

“What’s going on, Seto?”

“I’ll be leaving here in about ten minutes for the airport.” Seto glanced at the grandfather clock against the far wall and frowned. “Hopefully, the traffic won’t be too bad, or the jet will be late taking off.” 

He glared at the maid who was still rearranging the suitcases, checking what was there. She was new and more than a bit spacey. Seto didn’t like her and Yugi was pretty sure she’d be looking for a new job soon.

“You forgot, didn’t you?” Seto said, seeing the look of bewilderment on Yugi’s face. “I’m heading for Chicago today.”

Yugi looked up at him in dismay. He *had* forgotten all about it. Seto was heading for Chicago to attend a huge meeting of the owners of Kaiba Corp, Industrial Illusions, Gamers’ Vision, R & D Corp, and Takera Productions, all of whom had interest with Duel Monsters, virtual technology, and a new game Maximillion Pegasus was supposed to unveil. After that, Seto was to head to London, then Paris, and then finally Munich on a business tour to promote his two new virtual reality games Kaiba Corp had produced in western Europe gaming markets. He had deliberately scheduled it all together, to get ready for the Christmas season coming up in a few months. It was a string of meetings and conventions expected to take three weeks to a month to finish, depending on travel, negotiations, and whether two major companies in Canada and Australia would be added to the itinerary for further North American and Australian releases. 

And Yugi had forgotten all about it. Seto would be leaving in a few minutes and Yugi wouldn’t be seeing him for a month. Yugi had a webcam on the computer Seto had gotten for him the previous year, and Seto had one on his laptop, plus there were cell phones, but they would still be apart. There *had* been a reason for last night’s romance, the fact that they wouldn’t be together for so long.

“You could still come,” Seto said, eyes on Yugi’s face. “It wouldn’t put us behind that much for you to pack what you have here, and I can buy you more once we’re in Chicago.”

Yugi smiled affectionately. They had talked it over before, of course, Yugi remembered it all now. Yugi could leave the game shop to Grandpa for a month, with Yami around to help the aging man, but Seto would be in meetings and the conventions most of the day, so Yugi would be on his own. They would see each other at night, but that would be it. Of course, Seto had told Yugi he’d be able to go where he wanted, touring the local areas of the countries, and to not worry about expenses. And Seto would have a few days scattered throughout he could spend with Yugi.

Yugi was sorely tempted to go. He’d originally declined in order to not put any expectations on Yami to run the shop, because they both knew Grandpa was beginning to feel his age and wouldn’t be able to do much himself, especially as much as he thought he could. Yugi also had the commitment of the classes. They started next week. 

Still, Yugi was now very tempted to shirk all responsibility-- deregister late, put the shop in Yami’s hands-- and go with Seto. He’d been all set to have Seto leave, but now, he really didn’t want to be away from him.

But he couldn’t go. He knew he was at the end of his time to get his head together. It was time to get the abortion, something he’d been planning all along on doing and not telling Seto. Now, he wondered if that was right. Unwanted, and certainly unexpected, but it was his child. He had a right to know, didn’t he? It would change nothing, but was it Yugi’s right to do this without his knowledge?

Yugi couldn’t tell him now. Seto would be leaving and Yugi couldn’t put that in his head right before he was supposed to take a three-week business trip. 

“No,” he finally said, as the chauffer started picking up the bags to take them to Seto’s limo in the garage and load them. “No, I still have the shop to run, and the classes. You’ll be trying to get all this business stuff done I don’t want to get in the way. I’ll just see you when you get back.”

“You are still feeling better, aren’t you?”

Yugi smiled again and nodded. “Much better,” he said. “I haven’t been sick at all the last four days.” He hesitated, then added, because this would be all over by the time Seto returned, “Maybe it’s something that will clear itself up. And all this worry will be for nothing.”

Seto scowled. “How often do you think that happens?”

“It only has to happen once for it to be possible.”

Seto snorted derisively. “I’ll stick to thinking practically. We can’t assume it’ll disappear, whatever it is. That you’ll have some sort of miraculous recovery. You need to be on your guard against any new symptoms and ready to get help instantly. Instead of believing in some magic recovery just because you feel better for a few days.”

Yugi, annoyed by Seto’s allusion he wasn’t rational, snapped back. “You know perfectly well magic is real, and even if it had nothing to do with it--”

“’If’?” Seto sneered. “Maybe magic is exists, but that doesn’t mean it affects everything like some mystic crystal-wearing new-age nut job believes. You’re smarter than that, I hope.”

“Even if it has nothing to do with it,” Yugi went on, “a lot of concern you’re showing going away for a month.” And then, because he was well and truly mad now, “I’ll try not to die while you’re gone.”

Seto froze in place like he’d turned to stone. The look on his face was frightening. He looked like he couldn’t decide between being stricken and being furious. Yugi’s anger was gone like a snuffed candle flame and he gasped in horror. 

“Seto, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that!”

“Is there something you’re not telling me?” Seto asked, his voice almost robotic as he struggled to keep rein on his emotions. “A test that came back or--”

“No!” Yugi said quickly. “No, Seto, I’m much better. I promise. I’m sorry I said that.”

Seto relaxed slightly, but only as if only one of his worries had been assuaged. “Would you rather I stay? I can cancel this--”

Reading Seto’s expression as he’d come to be able to do in their time with each other, Yugi shook his head. He reached out, taking one of Seto’s hands, relieved when he allowed it. “I know you care,” he said. “I know how worried you are. I never meant to suggest otherwise. I’m sorry, I was just--”

“I’m sorry, too,” Seto said quietly. “I shouldn’t have talked to you like that.”

Yugi squeezed his hand. “Go. I’ll be fine. I feel much better, really, I do. I’ll call you the minute when, if, anything happens. I promise. And I’ll see you when you get back.”

Seto studied his face, then nodded. He bent down and Yugi met him. They kissed, long and slow, saying goodbye as well as apologizing, before Seto pulled back and straightened. Yugi let go of his hand. 

“Have a safe trip,” he said. 

Seto nodded and stepped past him. Yugi noticed that the chauffer and maid were absent, no doubt having hurried away when the pair of them started fighting. All of the luggage was gone, put in the limo. Yugi turned and followed Seto into the garage, standing in the doorway and watching as he got into the limo and the driver pulled away, driving out of the garage and disappearing down the long driveway.

Yugi turned and stepped back into the house, stopping in the entrance foyer and then looking around helplessly, crossing his arms over his stomach, lost. 

******

Yami paced through the apartment, looking for anything to take up his attention. Since finding out his hikari was pregnant, and facing down the prospect of an abortion, nothing had been able to take Yami’s mind off the situation. 

He worried for Yugi. This situation was very dangerous, and there was nothing Yami could do about it. That didn’t sit right with him. He’d been protecting Yugi since he’d merged with him, and continued to want to do so. 

He knew Yugi was strong, far stronger than he ever allowed himself to believe, but he worried this might strike an emotional blow to Yugi he would have difficulty recovering from. 

There was plenty of physical danger as well. Yugi had told them his body remained unchanged, and an abortion would require surgery. This Kuribayashi and this Anna would know about it, and while he respected Yugi’s belief in the kindness of others, Yami was far less trusting. 

Surely, he would not be hesitant to be vengeful should his hikari’s trust be violated. 

The phone rang. Knowing only Joey would call him, he picked up the receiver. 

“Hey, Babe,” Joey greeted. “Have you heard from Yugi?”

Naturally, this situation would be at the forefront of Joey’s thoughts, as well.

“No. Our link remains closed, and he has not contacted me since he last visited.” Yami sighed. “I wish to respect his choice on that, but I know this weighs upon him and I do not like that he may be attempting to shoulder it alone.”

“That’s what Yug’ does,” Joey said. “Every time something upsets him, he goes off on his own and shuts us out. I guess you now, too.”

Yami growled softly. “That’s true.”

“Look, if we don’t hear from him by the end of the week, we’ll go over there. It…might even be over by then. Maybe that’s why he’s not speaking up.”

Yami didn’t believe so, as he still could sense Yugi’s emotions and he was pensive and stressed, but nothing more. “I do not like this. This surgery.”

“Me either. But Kuribayashi’s a good doc. I looked him up. He’s got great remarks, and Kaiba wouldn’t have him on his payroll if he wasn’t.”

Yami hadn’t considered researching. Although he understood and could use technology to a basic degree, it still didn’t come naturally to his mind. But Kuribayashi’s proficiency was not the only consideration. He mentioned this to Joey.

“Right there with you. Yug’ would trust a rabid raccoon not to bite him. But we got his back, no matter what. 

******

“I’m glad you finally got back to me,” Anna said as she led Yugi into her ultrasound room. Yugi had called her an hour after Seto had left for Chicago, and made an appointment to have the second ultrasound before making an appointment for an abortion. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t.”

“Sorry,” Yugi said. “I had a lot to think about.”

Anna smiled sympathetically. It was six o’clock two days after Seto had left, and the office was empty. Anna had deliberately put this after hours so that the second ultrasound wouldn’t show up on his medical records. 

“Let’s have a look-see and see where we stand,” Anna said. 

“Have you thought about how we can do this covertly?” Yugi asked, beginning to strip. Anna had already seen him in his boxers, and she would again, so there was no reason to be modest. Though, Yugi still faced with his back to her.

“Yes, a lot. On a woman, an abortion is a fairly simple procedure that can go horribly wrong easily. It involves a--”

“I’d rather not know,” Yugi interrupted gently. “This is already hard.”

Anna said nothing to that, only changed to the matter at hand. “With you, an incision will need to be made into your abdomen and everything removed. The incision will be several inches long. A C-section incision would probably work best, but one that runs from your belly button to your pelvic bone, rather than horizontal across your abdomen, like usual. We’ll need anesthesia, an IV, disinfectant, scalpels, sponges, clamps, sutures…”

“You sound like you’re going to do it yourself.”

“No, Kentaro could.”

Yugi whirled around, mouth opening, but Anna held up her hand. “I know you didn’t want to tell him, but I don’t know what to tell you. If you go for a scheduled C-section in any hospital, this will get out and you’ll be on the six o’clock news. There’s no cross-dressing you. A doctor will notice the absence of a uterus when they open you up. Kentaro is an internal medicine doctor, and a private practice one, but he is a doctor.”

“There’s a difference between a doctor and a surgeon.”

Anna gave him a look. “I know. Look, Yugi, please listen to me before you get hysterical. A woman once performed a C-section on herself and she and the baby both survived. There’s a lot of risk involved in this, but Kentaro is a competent doctor and he does have some surgical training.”

Yugi hesitated, his heart being erratically. How crazy was this? He felt he could trust Kuribayashi and Anna both, but the reality was that he didn’t know either of them, and having a surgical procedure done by someone who wasn’t a surgeon was likely to be the stupidest thing he’d ever done.

But what choice did he have? Risk it, putting his trust in people who had a better idea of the dangers and their capabilities than he did; or go with a real surgeon and hazard being the next big news story, on top of the surgery risks. 

“You told Kuribayashi?”

“No. It’s up to you.”

Yugi hesitated, slowly pushing himself up onto the examination table. Anna came around and turned on the ultrasound machine, getting the bottle of gel. 

“Let’s take a look first, okay?” she said. 

Yugi lay back against the backrest and let her squirt some of the gel across his belly. He hadn’t bothered with the paper gown this time. As she placed the wand against his stomach and spread the gel around, he heard faint shushing sounds. 

“What’s that?”

“Your stomach as it digests, I believe. This isn’t going to be a normal ultrasound, so there’s go to be more background noise than normal.”

The sound was on? It hadn’t been the first time. But Yugi didn’t protest, just watched the monitor as Anna moved the wand around, searching his abdomen for the baby. Abruptly it popped onto the screen, far clearer than it had been two weeks ago. He could see it more clearly now, and with it, a rapid and slightly off-rhythm pattern that sounded oddly like a horse galloping.

“What’s that?” Yugi asked again. 

“Fetal heartbeat,” Anna said, studying the screen. “A baby’s heart beats much, much faster than an adults, about 150 beats per minute. You, as an adult man, have a heartbeat only about 70 beats per minute. Sounds fast, doesn’t it? But that’s normal.”

Yugi stared at the screen, transfixed by the rapid beat. As he stared at the image, he realized he could see details. The baby was curled up into a typical ball, and he could see the outline. The head appeared over large, the legs pulled against the stomach, and the arms bent and pulled into the chest. The longer he stared as Anna moved the wand around, the more he could make out. He could see the legs and arms, the shoulders and head, even the ears and nose. The image was moving slightly, and he realized the baby was moving, almost spastically twitching its arms and legs occasionally. 

“I… didn’t realize it would look so… like a baby,” Yugi said slowly.

Anna nodded, eyes still on the screen. “A baby starts looking like a person and less like a tadpole at about seven weeks. The “tail” has become legs and the lower part of the spine by nine weeks, and the hands and feet are developing fingers and toes. Here, at fourteen weeks for you, the baby is about three inches long, all the facial features have developed for the most part, and it is starting to produce bile and red blood cells. And, yes, this fetus is still alive.”

Anna removed the wand and sat back on her stool. “Okay, it’s time to make a decision. You can come in tomorrow and we’ll talk to Kentaro. I really believe he’ll take this about as well as I did. You can trust him.”

“I know,” Yugi said distractedly.

“He’ll have a good idea of what he’s capable of. If he doesn’t believe he can perform the abortion safely, we’ll have to think of something else, but I suggest we at least talk to him first. So, can you come in tomorrow around one o’clock?”

Yugi stared at what was now a blank screen. The heartbeat was no longer on the ultrasound sonogram, but he could still hear it in his head. He could still see the tiny, curled up fetus twitching aimlessly. He had even been able to see the face enough to see the closed eyes. 

“Yugi? Is one o’clock good?”

“No.”

Anna frowned. “Well, okay, I can look at Kentaro’s schedule and see--”

“I can’t do this.”

Anna’s mouth dropped open. “What are you talking about? You have to do this as soon as possible, before that fetus develops big enough to start putting strain on your body.” She pointed the bump in his abdomen that was now big enough he could see it without searching for it. “You don’t have a choice.”

“Yes, I do,” Yugi said, his heart pounding. 

The enormity of the decision he was not lost on him, of course. But, seeing that image, the decision had jumped into his mind, and he knew he it was the path he had to take. Shaking, he looked up into Anna’s face. 

“I’m keeping my baby.”

tbc...


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine:

Anna’s reaction was about what could be expected. She regarded Yugi with mouth agape before spluttering, “Are you *insane*?”

Yugi put his hand against his stomach. He felt the swelling easily now; it was bigger than it had been even since he had his first ultrasound. It further confirmed the presence of a living, growing fetus. A baby. His baby.

“I can’t do it,” Yugi said quietly. “Not anymore. Did you hear the heartbeat? Did you see the face? How can I?”

Anna stared at Yugi again before reaching out and putting her hand on his arm. “That was unprofessional of me to say that and I apologize. But, Yugi, you can’t be serious. You have to think rationally.”

“I am serious,” Yugi said. He wasn’t sure if he was thinking rationally.

“Yugi, you can’t have this baby,” Anna said. “It’s not just a matter of if you should, you can’t. No matter how this happened--and I’d still like to know how--you aren’t designed to have a baby.”

“You said it was possible, an abdominal ectopic.”

Anna sighed and removed her hand, sitting back on her stool. “It is. But it’s dangerous. For the baby and you. And it’s possible for a woman. Probably not you.”

Yugi rubbed his stomach, looking around anxiously. Was he being stupid? Maybe he couldn’t do this. What was he thinking? He’d come here to have an abortion, and he should just do it. But he couldn’t. The image of the small face on the screen kept popping up into his mind. He’d seen his child. How could he abort it?

“I can’t abort,” he said. “I can’t kill my baby.”

Anna stared into his face. Yugi raised his eyes and looked back, letting her know his decision was made. She frowned, then looked resigned.

“Okay. I’m certainly not going to force you.”

“Thank you,” Yugi said weakly.

He felt sick and anxious in a way that had nothing to do with the morning sickness he was hopefully past. This was the biggest decision he had ever made and he hoped it wasn’t the wrong decision. 

Yugi sighed and closed his eyes. No, it wasn’t the wrong decision. He realized, as worried as he was, he felt so much better after having made it. A weight had been lifted off his heart he hadn’t even been aware of until now. He knew it was the right decision. It just wasn’t going to be easy or safe. 

Yugi sat up and swung his legs over the side of the exam table. 

“Where are you going?” Anna asked.

“Home, I guess.”

“But you haven’t talked to Kentaro yet.”

Surprised, Yugi said, “But I don’t need to. I’m not having the abortion. And I won’t change my mind.”

“I’m not going to try to talk you into it, or scare you into it. What you need now, if you’re going to go through with this, is advice, knowledge of the risks, and especially prenatal care. Yugi, you’ll be very high risk, so it’s absolutely essential you get all the care you can.”

“Kuribyashi isn’t an obstetrician.”

“He’s not a surgeon either. As a doctor, he has knowledge of how to deliver a baby. He has access to supplies and equipment, too. Anything he may not know, he can research or ask an obstetrician. He can call it hypothetical curiosity and get an answer much sooner than you can.”

Yugi nodded slowly. He started getting dressed, while Anna turned off the ultrasound and put away her equipment. Fully clothed, Yugi hoisted himself back onto the exam table, using it as a bench. Anna had a point. Kuribayashi would be able to find out things he couldn’t, and without drawing undue attention to himself.

“You really don’t think I’m making a good decision, do you?”

“No,” Anna said bluntly. “But I understand it, now. It’s ma…parental instinct.”

Yugi knew she’d been about to say maternal, but he ignored that. Couldn’t exactly blame her for that. Staring at the floor, he considered going to Kuribayashi. She was right; he would be able to give the baby the care Yugi couldn’t. It was essential. Anna herself could help with questions, but she wouldn’t be able to give Yugi any vitamins, monitoring, or whatever else he’d need. Yugi didn’t have the first clue.

“Okay. When do we go to him?” 

“As soon as possible. You’re already into your second trimester. Can you come tomorrow? Kentaro has a break from two to three. We’ll talk to him in his office.”

Yugi agreed, though his mouth felt dry with dread. He’d had one miracle already that Anna had accepted this whole thing and decided to help him, rather than throw him out or go to the press. Could he really rely on a second miracle that Kuribayashi would act the same way?

Well, Kuribayashi had been his doctor for a few weeks now, and Yugi had always felt calm and in good hands in his company. He thought the doctor was genuinely a good man, and sincere as a doctor. He believed he could trust him, and Anna, and he was often a good judge of character.

The images of Seto, Mokuba, Weevil, Mako, Bakura, “Namu” who had turned out to be Marik Ishtar, and the fortune teller that had turned out to be Bandit Keith all turning against him flooded his mind. Okay, so usually he was a good judge of character. Besides, though they had all attacked him at one point or another after playing nice to get under his guard, everyone but Weevil and Bandit Keith really had turned out to be nice people. Even Joey had once been a violent street thug and Yugi had believed in him. And Joey and Seto had turned out fine.

He’d tell Kuribayashi.

“Okay. I’ll be here tomorrow at two.”

******

Later that night, as Yugi was typing up his first homework assignment from one of his classes, a soft ding drew his attention. An icon in the bottom right of his screen was blinking, telling him he had a video connection from Seto. Pleased, Yugi eagerly clicked on the icon, connecting to his webcam and bringing up the video chat.

“Hi, Seto!” he said cheerfully as the brunette’s face appeared on the screen. His computer had come from Seto, and as such was state-of-the-art. Seto’s face was almost as clear as if he was peering in through a window. 

“Hello, Yugi,” Seto said in return.

Yugi studied Seto’s face. This was the first time he’d gotten to talk to him since his plane had first landed in Chicago a couple days ago. Because of the huge time difference, fourteen hours, getting time to chat was going to be difficult. Therefore, after Seto had called to tell him the plane had made it safely, they hadn’t spoken until now. Seto looked tired, and as Yugi glanced at the clock, he saw that it was nine-thirty. It was only seven-thirty the previous morning in Chicago, and Seto had probably just finished his breakfast.

“How are the meetings going?” Yugi asked, knowing that Seto despised shareholders meetings… or anything to do with other people, really. 

Sure enough, a faint dark look crossed the blue eyes, but all Seto said was, “Fine.” 

“Is the new game Pegasus was supposed to show all of you interesting?”

Seto paused in thought for a moment. Yugi knew he wasn’t allowed to talk about it much, because it was not yet available to the public, or even really in production at the moment, but he knew Seto was supposed to have seen it at the meeting the previous day. 

“It’s… more for little children than most of Pegasus’ inventions.”

Yugi smiled. “That sounds nice. Is Kaiba Corp going to be in on it?”

“I haven’t decided. It’s not really something Kaiba Corp typically has stake in.”

“Does Pegasus need your virtual technology?”

“Not so much need as want.” Seto smirked a little. Yugi knew he enjoyed the fact that Duel Monsters had doubled its popularity thanks to his virtual technology making the monsters jump out into realistic three-dimensions instead of staying as cards on a board. Yugi wondered if Duel Monsters would have been the phenomenon it had been if it had stayed just a board game. True, it had been very popular in America and Japan both as a board game, but it seemed *everyone* knew and played the game after the Duel Discs had hit the market. 

There was also the fact that no one had managed to make a virtual technology hologram projector with the efficiency and realism of Seto’s personal invention. All of the game designers envied Seto’s invention and many wanted partnerships with him to use that technology to improve their games and their profits.

“Doesn’t that give you a negotiations advantage?” Yugi asked.

Seto’s smirk widened. Yugi grinned back. 

“How’s Chicago?” Yugi asked.

“Windy.”

Yugi laughed at the joke. “You don’t have any meetings today, right? You should take the time to look around, enjoy the city.”

Seto nodded noncommittally. Yugi sighed, knowing Seto was far more likely to spend his time on his computer, managing Kaiba Corp overseas. He had put his Director of Resources in charge since Mokuba was at school, but Yugi knew he wouldn’t be able to allow himself to believe in the man, and do things all by himself. Even though he was now over twenty-one, he was still the same driven, distrustful, do-it-himself person. He didn’t know how to relax unless Yugi was there to make him.

Yugi filled Seto in on his classes, and then, as he knew it would, the subject was turned to his health.

“I’m fine, Seto. I haven’t been sick in a week.”

Seto studied him through the camera. “So, it’s all over now?” His voice implied he wasn’t buying it.

Yugi shook his head. “No. I’m seeing Kuribayashi tomorrow.”

“What for?”

Yugi hesitated. “Talk to him about an X-ray. I couldn’t go last time I had an appointment… I felt too sick.” Yugi felt horrible lying to him, but he had to tell him something. 

Seto frowned, and Yugi leaned forward, smiling brightly. “Don’t worry about it, Seto. I told you I’d tell you if anything bad happened. I promise. Enjoy your time in Chicago! Go eat a deep-dish pizza and a twinkie for me.”

Yugi managed to coax a smile out of Seto. They chatted a little longer, then Yugi said good night. 

“I miss you, Seto. Have a good day. I love you.”

Seto reached forward to turn off his camera. Just before the screen went dark, he raised his gaze and said, “I love you, too.”

Yugi smiled, shaking his head affectionately as he turned off his own webcam. Seto would always be Seto. 

Sitting back in his chair, Yugi looked down at his stomach. He raised his shirt, and looked at the small swollen bump just below his belly button. He put his hand over it and closed his eyes. 

‘Okay, baby,’ he thought. ‘I made my decision to keep you. Do me a favor: stay healthy for me.’

It wasn’t until Yugi had opened his eyes and reached to start back on his homework that he realized he had made a mental change, too. The baby had gone from being a fetus to a child. He was even talking to it now. 

******

Yugi stepped out of his car the next afternoon and looked at the small, tasteful sign to the right of the entrance that was the only indication of the practice. All day since he’d woken that morning he’d been feeling a consistent, low-grade anxiety that was now raising so fast his palms were sweaty. He shut his car door, wondering if he’d ever come here without feeling like he was going to puke from nerves.

‘At least I’m not puking from morning sickness anymore,’ he thought. 

He had his link to Yami closed, as he had for the last few days. This wasn’t much of a strange occurrence. Now that they had separate lives--and separate lovers--it had quickly become prudent for them to get into the habit of having the link shut. Yugi had not told either Yami or Joey that he was keeping the baby. He worried about their reactions almost as much as he did about Seto’s. He knew they would support him, but he also knew they would worry themselves sick… which he supposed they had already been doing when he’d just thought he was ill.

‘I’ve never had a secret as big as this,’ he thought ruefully as he walked across the parking lot and entered the practice. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Moto,” the receptionist said as he stepped inside the deserted waiting room. “Um, I don’t have you down for an appointment.”

“I’m just here to talk to Anna for a moment.”

The receptionist looked surprised, but she was too professional to pry. She immediately picked up her phone and dialed Anna to come to the waiting room. A minute later, the ultrasound technician arrived. She smiled tightly at Yugi, though it was from nerves rather than dislike. She was holding a folder in one hand, which Yugi supposed was his own. 

“Hi, Yugi. Okay, right this way. Thanks, Miyuki.”

Anna held open the door into the hallway for Yugi, and they started towards Kuribayashi’s office at the back. There was no one in the hallway, and all of the exam room doors were open, indicating there were no patients in the practice, even with three doctors working out of it. 

“How are you feeling, Yugi?”

“Fine. I think I am past the morning sickness.”

“Good, I thought you might be. Start your cravings yet?”

“My what? You mean the pickles and ice cream thing? No.”

Anna smiled sweetly. Then they had arrived at Kuribayashi’s office, on the center side of a T-section end of the hallway. She reached up and knocked on the closed hardwood door. Kuribayashi answered from the inside.

“Yes?”

“Kentaro, it’s Anna. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure, come in.”

Anna opened the door, then ushered Yugi in, whispering, “Just relax.”

Yugi stepped into the office, heart pounding. Kuribayashi was bent over a form, filling it out in unusually neat, clear script. He didn’t look up when Yugi stepped in with Anna. 

“What did you need to talk about, Anna?”

“Yugi’s here, Kentaro.”

Kuribayashi looked up in surprise. “Yugi. What are you doing here, are you okay?”

Yugi nodded, then shook his head. “Um, not exactly. I needed to talk to you.”

Looking definitely confused and concerned, Kuribayashi picked up the form and slid it into a folder, turning to a black file cabinet behind him and slipping the folder into the drawer marked G-J. Closing the drawer, he turned back around in his chair, then got to his feet. There was a stethoscope around his neck, and he reached for it.

“What seems to be the problem? Have you had any worsening of symptoms, or had any new ones manifest?”

Such was his commitment to his patients that he didn’t seem the least bit upset Yugi had interrupted his private time without warning. 

“No, I’m fine. Actually, uh, Anna and I know what’s wrong.”

Surprised, Kuribayashi sat on the edge of his desk, gesturing for them to sit. Yugi took one of the two chairs in front of the desk, but Anna didn’t see. Instead, she stood behind him, in a position to offer support, and waited for him to elaborate. Yugi found his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth again. 

“Well?” Kuribayashi asked, but without rancor. “If you know what it is, why didn’t you inform me?”

“I… wanted to keep it off record,” Yugi whispered.

Kuribayashi’s eyebrow rose, and his expression hardened. Yugi’s pulse rate went up again. “Is there something I should know? I don’t know how it could be, but if this involves something illegal, or--”

“Hear him out, Kentaro, and you’ll know why. Go on, Yugi, tell him. It’ll be okay.”

Yugi swallowed, his mouth so dry he heard an audible click. He felt Anna put his hand on his shoulder and squeeze reassuringly. Taking a deep breath, he looked Kuribayashi in the face and said, “I’ve been having nausea, vomiting, weight gain, and fatigue…”

“Right.”

“…and mood swings and all… because I’m pregnant.”

Kentaro Kuribayashi stared at Yugi for a full minute. Expecting this need to take a moment and assimilate, Yugi said nothing, just held his gaze. 

“I-I’m sorry, what?”

Anna took over. She stepped out from behind the chair. “That’s what I said.” She opened the folder and pulled out a glossy, black-and-gray picture. Yugi stared, realizing she was holding a picture from the ultrasound. He hadn’t realized she’d taken one. Anna handed it to Kuribayashi, adding, “I couldn’t believe it either, until I saw it.”

Kuribayashi took the sonogram and turned it square. He studied the image, then looked up. His non-expression was reminiscent of someone who was so confused, he just didn’t know what to think.

“What is this?”

“That’s Yugi’s ultrasound, Kentaro. I know, it’s hard to wrap your head around. But, look, you can see it.” She stepped beside him, reaching out to point at the center of the picture. “There. Fourteen weeks, give or take. Yugi was coming to you suffering from the effects of his first trimester. Morning sickness, fatigue… the baby’s beginning to grow, so he’s starting to put on the weight…”

“Is this a joke?”

Yugi swallowed, then leaned back against the chair back enough to thrust out his stomach and pulled up his shirt. Kuribayashi’s gaze fell to the faint distension just beginning to protrude.

“See?” Yugi said softly, lowering his shirt. “It’s bigger than when you felt my stomach a month ago.”

“This isn’t a joke, Kentaro,” Anna said. “I thought it was at first, too. I thought you and Yugi had pulled a fast one on me for some reason. But it’s real. The baby’s there, right there, in his abdomen. It looks to be abdominal ectopic--”

“Sex change?”

Yugi flushed. “No!”

“No,” Anna agreed, though the faintest smile twitched her lips. “Believe me, Yugi’s full male. I thought something like that too, at first, but he’s a boy. No uterus or ovaries, no surgery scars, full… ah… masculine package.”

Yugi felt his cheeks burn furiously. He looked at his lap, where his hands were now clasped together. 

“Then how did this happen?”

“That’s what we can’t figure out.”

“No, no, if you want me to believe this, there has to be some explanation.”

“There’s not,” Anna said with a shrug as Yugi looked back up. “He’s male, always been a male, and there’s a baby in his abdominal cavity. That’s all I can tell you, all he can tell you.”

Kuribayashi’s gaze went to Yugi. His expression was still hard. 

“It’s true,” Yugi said. “I felt sick, and I came to you, and Anna gave me an ultrasound, and… the baby was there.”

“Well, you told me you took a pregnancy test.”

Kuribayashi raised an eyebrow. Yugi coughed, blushing. “It’s true.” He quickly told him about the computer program and the diagnosis, then fretting about it and finally getting the pregnancy test. “And I know how stupid it was. The irony was, I took it to prove to myself how stupid it was.”

Anna smiled again. Kuribayashi looked down at the ultrasound sonogram again, then got to his feet. “Come on, let’s go to the ultrasound room.”

Yugi understood that Kuribayashi had to see for himself. He got up without question and trooped with them down the hall to the ultrasound examination room. He dutifully removed his shirt and sat on the exam table. But first, Kuribayashi sat on the stool and wheeled it closer, holding up his stethoscope. He had Yugi lay back and then he placed the stethoscope against Yugi’s abdomen, putting the buds in his ears and moving the scope around. Yugi watched his face and knew by his expression when he heard the horse-gallop sound of the baby’s heartbeat.

He sat back on the stool with a jerk, letting the scope fall against his chest while he reached up to remove the buds. Anna had been preparing the ultrasound machine and now she squirted some of the gel against Yugi’s belly. The cold and slimy lubricant was still as distasteful as previous, but Yugi looked eagerly at the screen. Standing on the other side of the exam table, leaning over Yugi to look at the screen clearly, Anna moved the wand across his abdomen until the baby appeared.

Curled up, pale against the dark background, eyes closed and chin to chest. Yugi stared at the picture in wonder. Kuribayashi did as well, though in another sense. His mouth hung open.

“See?” Anna said. “It’s a trip, isn’t it?”

Kuribayashi leaned closer to the monitor, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Anna moved the wand, making a wider circle sweep across his abdomen.

“No uterus. As you can see here, the baby appears to be an abdominal ectopic attached to his liver. It appears to be getting sufficient nutrients. Judging by our best guess, the fetus appears to be about fourteen weeks gestational age.”

Kuribayashi was still staring at the image with his mouth open. Then he sat back and rubbed his eyes. “Okay… okay.”

“Right,” Anna said with a smile. She removed the wand. Yugi had to stop himself telling her not to. He wanted to keep staring at his baby.

Anna put away the equipment and handed Yugi a rag to wipe his stomach. She leaned against a counter, arms folded and ankles crossed. 

Kuribayashi lowered his hand and let out his breath. “Okay. I can see why you wanted to keep this private. You have no idea how this happened?”

Anna and Yugi shook their heads in tandem. “How could we?” Anna added. “He’s a male and he’s pregnant.”

Yugi rubbed the rag across his abdomen, not meeting their eyes. 

“Well, okay, I guess the next thing it to schedule--”

“He’s not having an abortion.”

Kuribayashi stared at Yugi in surprise again. Yugi looked up and nodded emphatically. “Right. I want to keep it.”

“But… Yugi… that’s--”

“I know. It’s crazy. Probably stupid. But I can’t. I’ve seen its face! I’ve heard its heartbeat. This isn’t a tumor, it’s my baby!”

“Parental instinct,” Anna said with a smile. 

Kuribayashi blinked, then rubbed the back of his neck. “Okay… I guess. But, Yugi, be reasonable.”

“Don’t try to talk me into it! I’ve been thinking about it for two weeks. I made my decision.”

Kuribayashi looked from Yugi to Anna. “And… the reason you came to tell me…?”

“We want you to be Yugi’s obstetrician, yes.”

“But--”

“Come on, Kentaro. You’re a doctor. You’ve taken gynecology.” 

“Well, yes, but…” 

“Please,” Yugi whispered. “I can’t go to anyone else. If I do, they’ll be all over me. Reporters, scientists… crazy people. I swear, Kuribayashi, this is all true. Somehow… I’m pregnant. And I need your help. I believe you’re a good doctor and a good man. I know I can trust you.”

Kuribayashi stared at him uncertainly, but Yugi could see that his words had their affect on the doctor. He made a noise of indecision. Yugi looked at him pleadingly.

“Okay,” Kuribayashi said with a sigh. “Okay. All right. You say you’re about fourteen weeks along?”

Yugi nodded, his hopes high. “You’re going to help?”

“As best as I can.” Kuribayashi looked at Yugi pointedly. “I’m not an obstetrician. You’re not a woman. This is completely uncharted territory, and it’s going to be dangerous, possibly impossible. You need to realize you’re going to be massively high risk, and you’ll have to take many steps to ensure this works. You might have reached your second trimester, and most miscarriages happen in this first, but you have none of the systems for having a baby. It’s going to get bigger and heavier and you’re going to have a lot of problems. There’s no pretending this isn’t going to be the most dangerous thing you’ve probably ever done in your life.”

tbc...

A/N: Long chapter is long.


	10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten:

Yugi looked down at his stomach, his heart pounding. Kuribayashi’s words were not lost on him. He had a feeling he really was about to do the most dangerous thing he ever had, and not including Seto’s Death-T theme park back when he was controlled by the evil in his heart.

Seto. Of course, Yugi had not forgotten about him, but he hadn’t included him in this decision at all. This was Seto’s child, too. There was no having this over by the time he got home any longer. And he couldn’t keep it a secret for much longer either. He was going to get bigger, and of course the baby would arrive in due course. Would Seto want it? Would he think Yugi was crazy? Would he want Yugi to have the abortion, or would he support him? Yugi really wasn’t sure. Seto had a weird relationship with children and the whole concept of parenthood. His own childhood had been horrible, and there was no getting around the fact that it had warped him. But, on the other hand, he spent millions of dollars making theme parks for children. His entire company was a game company. 

Well, he would have to think about that when the time came for Seto to come home. He knew one thing-- he could not abort his baby. The child in his abdomen was his, and he already loved it, since he had first seen its tiny face. 

“What do I have to do?” Yugi asked.

Kuribayashi folded his arms across his chest. “Well, let’s see. I guess we’ll just operate on the assumption all of this will work out the same. You’ll need prenatal vitamins, you’ll have to have regularly scheduled check-ups, and I believe we should schedule more than usual, given the circumstances. You’ll need a list of stuff you’ll have to avoid: mercury-laden foods, excess salt, alcohol, of course. Do you drink?”

Yugi looked up in alarm. “I have, since I’ve gotten pregnant. A little wine and champagne a couple of times at dinner--”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine. Everyone assumes you have to stay away from alcohol like it’s the plague, and that would be best, but it’s not necessary. You’re allowed a half glass of wine every night, in fact. Though it’s still not recommended at all. How much did you have, on each occasion?”

Yugi considered. “About a glass and a half of white wine a few weeks ago, and a couple days ago, most of a flute of champagne.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. Just stay away from it from now on. No sushi, make sure you wash your fruits and vegetables very thoroughly. Be careful with processed meats and cheeses, and make sure everything is thoroughly cooked. Nothing with raw egg or unpasteurized dairy.”

Yugi nodded. 

“You’ll also need to be careful about medicines. Most stuff is not for pregnant wo-- um, pregnancies.”

Yugi consigned himself to slip ups like these. 

“Um… we’ll get you a list of what you can take, as well. Okay, I’ll need to talk to my friend at Domino General. He’s an OB/GYN. I’ll ask him for some research advice. In the meantime, I’d suggest getting some baby books at the library or a bookstore. They’ll have plenty of advice for you.”

“Okay.” That sounded like a good idea.

“I’ll try to talk to Dr. Yamashita tomorrow. I’ll call you back for an appointment when I’ve spoken with him. And we’ll do all we can to keep that baby healthy.”

******

Yugi left the practice a few minutes later, holding a small sheaf of papers containing the lists of foods to avoid, medicines he could safely take, as well as a long list of dos and don’ts. He also had a bottle of prenatal vitamins to start taking and a small paper that had the personal home and cell phone numbers of Kuribayashi and Anna. The lengths they were going to to help him made him grateful. 

Yugi slid into his car, but didn’t start the engine. He sat in the parking lot and reviewed the lists that Kuribayashi and Anna had given him. There was stuff on there he never would have thought of, so he was glad he had these lists. 

He considered going ahead and buying the recommended books, but decided to go and visit Yami and Joey first. He’d decided to keep the baby, and they would need to know. He wanted to tell them, also. 

Yami was home alone when he arrived. He’d been so preoccupied with thoughts of the baby and the abortion he’d been going to have that he hadn’t gone to see him since talking to him and Joey about the abortion in the first place, though he’d talked to him a few times. Yami had wished him well the day he’d gone to schedule the abortion, promising to be there if he needed him. Neither he nor Joey knew anything about Yugi’s change of heart.

“Hello, Aibou,” Yami greeted him, inviting him in. “How have you been?” 

Yami’s question was weighted with more than just asking after Yugi’s mood. He led Yugi into the living room and the pair of them settled on the couch. 

“I’ve… been fine. No more being sick.”

Yami studied him intently. No one could stare as penetratingly as Yami. “Did you see Anna?”

“Yes.” Yugi sighed. “I’m not going through with it.”

Yami did not seem as surprised as Yugi had been expecting. His expression was pinched with worry, but he was not surprised. Yugi asked him why.

“You have too much love of people,” Yami said simply. “You wouldn’t be able to go through with it.”

Yugi nodded, accepting that. Yami looked at him with concern.

“Aibou… do you know what you’re doing?”

“No, but I’m not doing it alone.” He told him everything about Anna and Kuribayashi. Yami seemed only marginally comforted. Yugi didn’t blame him. Despite his resolve, he was afraid. 

“Are you going to try to talk me into having an abortion?” Yugi asked, though, as Yami had known him well enough to know he would back out, so he knew Yami well enough to know he would never try to talk him into it, and he was right.

“No. You have made up your mind, and you know you’ve made the right decision.”

Yugi smiled. He told Yami about the heartbeat, and seeing the baby on the monitor. “I knew I couldn’t do it, right then,” he said. He sighed. 

Yami nodded in understanding. He reached to put his arm around Yugi’s shoulders and Yugi eagerly cuddled up to him, drawing his legs under him and leaning against his side. He rested his head on his shoulder. 

//What are you going to tell Kaiba?// Yami asked finally, as Yugi had known he would eventually.

/I have no idea./

//Aibou… Will he…//

Yami trailed off. Yugi lifted his head from Yami’s shoulder and looked up into his face. Yami wasn’t meeting his eyes. /Will he what?/

//How will he react?//

/I don’t know. I really don’t. He still has so many problems with magic and not being able to control his own destiny. This will… just be another thing he can’t control./ Yugi hesitated, then said honestly, /I’m afraid to tell him./

Yami looked at him sharply. 

/I’m… I’m afraid he’ll be too upset to accept it. I… I don’t want him to leave me./

There it was, the real reason Yugi was afraid to tell Seto anything. He was too unsure about Seto’s position to foresee his reaction. Seto did everything with his company for children, and he’d raised his own brother mostly on his own since he was ten. Certainly since he was fourteen and had taken the company from Gozaburo. Though it was not widely publicized because Seto fiercely maintained his hard-bitten image, Kaiba Corporation donated millions to charity every year, much of it going to orphanages and children’s hospitals. 

But a child of his own? 

Joey returned home from work not long after. He was initially excited to see Yugi. He seemed to have forgotten, if not the pregnancy, then the fact that Yugi was supposed to have set up the abortion that day. He came home chatting about some callers he’d had that day, telling them about one of them as he hung up his jacket, one who had remembered him from Duel Monsters, a girl, who told him, right on air, that she was interested in hooking up. 

“Did you let her down nicely, Joey?” Yugi asked, not keen on interrupting Joey until he was done. 

“Oh, yeah,” Joey said, flopping down on the recliner with a sigh. “Told her my heart was taken and that I already had a pretty thing waiting for me at home.” 

Yami threw the pillow at him again. Yugi had a feeling that pillow was launched often. 

“What?” Joey asked with a grin. He got up, holding the pillow in one hand to return it to the couch, but his real reason for coming over was Yami. “It’s the truth.”

“Hmph.” 

Joey pecked Yami’s lips, then turned to Yugi. He sat down on the couch between Yami and the armrest. “So, what brings you here, Yug’?” Now his memory seemed to catch up and he sobered. “Is it over? Did you do it?”

Yugi shook his head. “No.”

“Then… when? ‘Cause if you need some help--”

“Aibou’s not going to have the abortion, Joey,” Yami said. “He’s decided to keep the baby.”

Joey looked from one to the other of them like he wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. Then his mouth fell open. “What? Yug’, are you serious?”

Yugi told him all about the two visits he’d had. When he was finished, Joey nodded in understanding.

“Yeah, I got ya. But…”

“I know. It’s dangerous. But Kuribayashi and Anna would have said it was impossible, don’t you think? If it were really *that* dangerous… wouldn’t they?”

“Would they?” Joey countered. “Maybe this is some sort of experiment for them.”

“Joey--”

“They’re scientists, Yami. Doctors… they like to play God with all their medicine and science. They all live for discoveries, and this is the first pregnant guy ever.”

Yugi suffered a moment of disquiet. Could that be true? 

//Aibou, don’t stress over it,// Yami warned him silently.

Yugi nodded absently. He settled back against the couch, gently rubbing his abdomen. He noticed the silent stares from Yami and Joey and looked up.

“What?”

“This is just… weird, Yug’,” Joey said hesitantly. His eyes dropped to Yugi’s hand. 

Yugi followed his gaze. He blushed, realizing that he really was becoming invested in this. Rubbing his stomach no longer had anything to do with soothing the disquiet of a touchy constitution, but now the subconscious connection of a pregnant mother. He was not this child’s mother, but the sentiment was the same. 

“Sorry.”

Joey hastily backtracked. “No, no! It’s cool, really.” Joey moved to the edge of the seat and rested his elbows on his thighs, leaning forward. “What are you going to name it? What is it, anyway? Boy or girl?”

“I don’t know,” Yugi admitted. “Anna didn’t say. I don’t even know when you can tell. As for a name…” Yugi blinked in surprise. “Yeah, I’ll have to think of one, won’t I?”

“Well, you have some time yet, Aibou.”

“Yeah,” Joey agreed. “Hey. Man, we’ll have to prepare for this, won’t we?”

“Dr. Kuribayashi gave me some lists of stuff I’ll need. I’ll need to get some books to read. He… Uh, he gave me some prenatal pills, too.”

“Yeah, this is weird,” Joey muttered. “But, hey, we’ll be here for you, just like we always are! Anything you need, Yug’.”

“Yes, of course,” Yami agreed. 

Yugi smiled brightly at the both of them. That they supported him, even if he had expected it, meant a lot to him. He felt a lot better. 

“I have another check up on the twelfth,” he said. “Maybe by then I can find out what I’m having. I’ll have to ask Anna.”

“When’s Moneybags coming back?” Joey asked.

“Um, the twentieth if he’s on time.”

Joey glanced at Yami. “If you need me there when you tell him, you tell me.”

Yugi frowned. He understood the implications behind Joey’s question, and he didn’t like it. Seto would never hurt him. But Yugi was not in a mood to start a fight, and he knew Joey’s intentions were good. Truthfully, he doubted Joey thought Seto would go that far either, he was just trying to be a good friend.

“Okay,” was all he said.

“Hey, Yug’, you’re over all the nausea, right?” Joey asked.

“Yeah.”

Joey grinned. “Then, come on. Let’s go out and have a celebration dinner. My buddy’s pregnant, and as weird as that is, if that’s not a reason to have some fun, I dunno what! On me, what’ya say?”

Yami smiled and so did Yugi. 

They did, and they had a great time.

******

Joey sighed as he climbed into bed beside Yami, who was reading by the light of his bedside lamp. Joey lay on his back, hands folded on his stomach. He looked up at the ceiling as he thought, twiddling his thumbs. After few moments, Yami placed his bookmark, set the book on the side table, and turned to him.

“Yes, Joey?”

Joey looked up at him to where he was sitting up, back against the headboard, then looked back at the ceiling. “Nah, nothing. It’s just…”

“Aibou.”

“Yeah. I mean…” Joey sighed and shifted to sit up against the headboard himself. “I’m worried, Yami. Aren’t you?”

“Yes. Very much so. I believe Aibou has made the decision that is best for him, and that he will not be persuaded otherwise, and that it would be no favor to him to attempt to. But, yes, I am worried. I know he knows what risks he is taking, but that does not make it any better. This is… this could very well become very dangerous.”

“Yeah.” Joey hesitated. “Do you really think he’s making the right decision?”

“For him, yes. For his own conscience and peace of mind, yes. For his own health and safety… I don’t know.”

“But is it the right decision? I mean, you don’t think he’s being… I don’t know, blinded?”

“I believe the baby is a big factor in his thinking right now, yes.” Yami sighed and closed his eyes. “There is no right or wrong decision, I think. If Aibou were to abort the child to save his own health, but regretted it for the rest of his life, is that any better than keeping the child and possibly facing medical problems?”

Joey frowned. “No, I guess not. And he wants to keep it, you can see it in his eyes, even if he hadn’t said anything.”

“Yes. To him, that child is his as much as if it has already been born. I suppose, as we become adjusted to this situation, it will to us, as well.”

“Think Yugi’ll let us come to this next appointment of his?”

Yami frowned slightly. “Do you need proof, Joey?”

“Nah. I believe Yug! But it is weird, you know. I’d still like to see for myself. Evil god, soul-sucking cards, trips into a gold necklace and a world of shadows and floating eyes, my boyfriend being a reincarnated Egyptian Pharaoh… and this is still the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to one of us.” He smiled and wrapped an arm around Yami, giving him an affectionate squeeze. “Sorry. That’s a title you’ve lost.”

“The title of Weirdest Thing That’s Ever Happened to One of Us? I think I’ll manage to live with that loss,” Yami said dryly.

Joey chuckled and pressed a kiss to the side of his head. He kept his arm around his shoulders, rubbing his bicep absently. “Still, think Yugi will let us go? Or is that too rude to ask?”

Yami frowned thoughtfully. “I don’t know. Perhaps we are not even allowed? We are not family, nor is either of us the father.”

“Speaking of that, what do you think about Kaiba? How do you think he’s going to handle this?”

“I don’t know. But Aibou is worried about that.”

“Yeah? You don’t think Kaiba’d freak on him, do you?”

“What do you mean?” Yami asked, with obvious censure. 

“Well…”

“I don’t believe Kaiba would hurt Yugi.”

“Nah, me either,” Joey said quickly. And truthfully. Kaiba was a jerk, but he was not a bastard. At least, not like that, not anymore. “But, you know, he might freak out and make Yugi regret he did this. He might break up with him.”

Yami frowned more deeply. “Aibou told me that was what he was afraid of. But if Kaiba loves him, surely he will not?”

“I dunno. Yug’ has been keeping it from him. He’s known a month or more now, hasn’t he? He didn’t even tell us at first.”

“He wished to know for sure.”

“Yeah, ok, but he still hasn’t told him.”

“He’s afraid to,” Yami admitted. “He has not told me much, but I can sense it. I don’t know if Aibou really believes Kaiba would leave him, but he’s afraid he will. He’s also feeling guilty.”

“Guilty?! What the hell for?”

Yami paused for several moments. Joey waited, sure that Yami was carefully sifting through the vibes he’d gotten from Yugi. This was different than mind-reading, since Joey knew that they could block each other like that, but they were forever linked psychically, and they could usually read each other’s emotions, and that was almost as good, if just not as defined. At least, that was how Yami had explained it to him. 

“I believe… he feels he is dragging Kaiba into something he may not wish to be part of, because he made the decision to keep this child, without Kaiba even knowing of its existence, let alone having a say. And, of course, he became pregnant in the first place.”

“Of course?! No of course about it! He didn’t *ask* to be the world’s first pregnant guy. That damn statue did it to him.”

“I know, Joey. This is how Aibou feels. And guilt is rarely rational.”

“Yeah, but, no way. Yugi’s not going feel guilty he got pregnant. He didn’t do nothing wrong. ‘Sides, takes two to make a baby. Even like this, apparently.”

Yami smiled in amusement. “Yes, though, one would forgive Kaiba for not realizing he was taking the risk of pregnancy.”

Joey sighed. “Yeah, I know. What do you think Yug’ll do if Kaiba does walk out? Or… throw him out, I guess.”

Yami scowled. “Let’s not think about that.”

“Yeah. Hey, he’ll always have a place here.”

“Yes.”

Joey brought the subject back to happier ground. He wanted to discuss Kuribayashi and Anna and their motives and how safe Yugi was, trusting them, but he didn’t think now would be the right time. Yami was about as forthcoming on his worries as Kaiba was, but Joey knew him well enough now to know he was fretting inside, and worrying something out loud was only going to annoy him. So, Joey changed it back to the baby itself.

“Hey, are we supposed to throw Yug’ a baby shower or something?”

Yami gave him a look.

“What?” Joey asked with a grin. “Baby showers are traditional. And Yugi is having a baby.” Joey’s smile faded. “Oh, I guess not. It’s supposed to be a secret, isn’t it?”

“You don’t think Aibou will tell our friends?”

“I don’t know. He can trust Tristan and Tea and Duke and my sister, but does he want them to know? ‘Course, I guess we just get him a bunch of presents to help out with the baby. But what’s he going to tell them when they show up sometime and he’s got a kid with him?”

“I’m sure Aibou will tell them when and if he wishes. In the meantime… I suppose trying to help out with the baby’s needs will be appreciated.”

Joey nodded. “Yeah. Hey, think we’ll be the god-parents, or something? Or… I don’t know, are you like its uncle?”

Yami smiled at him. “I will be whatever Aibou wishes.”

“Yeah. Hey, girl, boy, that baby of Yug’s can count on good, old Joey to be his… or her… protector!”

Yami smiled at him even more tenderly. “That is very sweet, Joey.”

Joey grinned, turning his head to kiss him. Yami kissed him back. They settled down to sleep, Yami flipping off his bedside lamp and turning onto his side. Joey spooned against his back, nuzzling his face into his hair. 

This was one weird situation they were in, but he’d support Yugi all the way, just like always.

tbc...


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven:

Yugi blinked blearily as his alarm clock screeched him awake. He reached over and shut it off, scrubbing a hand across his eyes. He threw back the covers, sitting up on the edge of the bed. He stretched, then looked down at his stomach. He still wasn’t quite big enough to show through the loose-fitting shirt of his pajamas, but he knew he was getting there. He smiled, reaching down to rub his stomach.

“Morning, baby,” he said. 

He would have to think of a name. He couldn’t call it ‘baby’ for much longer, especially when he knew the gender. But what name would be best? 

Did he want a boy or a girl? Did it matter? He didn’t think so. At this point, all he cared about was having a healthy baby. He would do his best, follow Dr. Kuribayashi’s advice and the advice of the baby books to their fullest. 

Still, he needed a name.

Yugi considered and discarded names as he went into the bathroom and undressed for a shower. He had no references to choose from, so he went down the list as best he remembered of the names of his classmates from school, but none seemed to fit right, boy or girl. This would be more difficult than he had thought.

Once nude, Yugi stepped on the scale and studied the returned number. Still about ten pounds in gained weight, since he’d become pregnant four months ago. He wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, but he did notice that his bump was getting obvious to the naked eye, now. He touched it again, wondering when he would feel the baby kicking, wondering what that would feel like. 

After the shower, Yugi headed downstairs and got breakfast from the cook. He would get the baby books from the library today and read them, before going to class. That was another thing he’d need to think about-- school. He’d have to give up the classes, most likely. Traveling while pregnant would get harder, he knew that, and of course he couldn’t start showing while in public. Still, he would wait for now; getting half his classes would be better than none, and with Seto gone, he needed more to fill his days. He couldn’t constantly drop in on Yami and Joey, even if he knew he’d be welcome anytime.

Once breakfast was over, Yugi got into his car and headed to the library to get the recommended books on the list Anna had given him. 

In the library, he walked around helplessly, unsure where these particular books would be. He didn’t want to stop and ask anyone either, feeling self-conscious as he perused the shelves. At last he located the pregnancy books in the reference section, looking down at the list in his hands and reading the titles on the spines. Thankfully, the library had four of the five Anna had suggested, and he took them all from the shelf.

At the checkout counter, Yugi was glad for the new technology that allowed a library member to checkout their own books electronically. He didn’t want to have to deal with a librarian. He was probably being paranoid, but at this point, he felt it was better safe than to be sorry.

At home later that evening, Yugi immediately headed upstairs and curled up in the armchair in the sitting room of the bedroom suite he shared with Seto. He set the other three books down on the side table and picked up the fourth, balancing the book on his folded legs and opening it. He started reading and was quickly absorbed. The book started out by assuring the reader that pregnancy and birth, while scary, were as natural as time. The line made Yugi snort wryly, but he continued reading. He had no idea that there was so much involved in pregnancy, far more than he had ever imagined, and a lot of it made him uncomfortable. Not only was some of it downright gross to read, but he worried about what was in store for him. Most of this seemed to be only possible for a woman, but he had no idea what to fully expect for himself, and that worried him.

Yugi was so absorbed in reading that he jumped when his phone started ringing. He set the book aside and dug his phone out of his pocket. The display told him Seto was calling. Pleased, he flipped it open.

“Hi, Seto!”

“How are you feeling?” 

Seto’s sounded a little fuzzy, but Yugi could still hear him perfectly, and he felt a jolt of pleasure at hearing his voice.

“I’m feeling fine,” Yugi said truthfully. He glanced at the books sitting on the side table. “I was just reading. How are you?”

“Fine,” Seto said. “The jet’s sitting on the tarmac waiting to take off to London.”

“Oh. Did you ever make a decision about the children’s game from Industrial Illusions?”

“Yes. Kaiba Corp will be backing it.”

Yugi smiled to himself, fiddling with the edge of the curtain in the window by the chair. He wasn’t surprised, of course. It was for children. But all he said was, “That’s nice.”

“I hope to be home in two weeks.”

Yugi sat up straighter, heart accelerating with both fear and delight. “Early? That’s wonderful!” Then he wondered about the reason. “Isn’t it?”

“Canada and Australia have dropped out, and Munich canceled its Game Expo.”

Seto meant the day where German Duel Monsters fans would get a chance to attend a convention to meet the executives of game companies and have Q and As on current and upcoming games. Yugi smiled again, knowing that Seto had not been looking forward to that day, so it was no loss.

“Well, it’s probably for the best,” he said. “Making your fans curl into balls and cry is not good for business.”

“If they’re fans of mine, they’d expect it,” Seto retorted.

Yugi chuckled, shifting position in the chair and looking toward the baby books again. “I miss you, Seto. I’m glad you’re coming home early.”

“Are you sure you’re feeling well?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Why do I have to be sick to miss you?” But of course Seto was just deflecting the sentimentality. 

“I’ll be home on the fourteenth.”

It was the first. Yugi sighed in frustration, but nodded into the phone. “Okay.”

Over the phone came the sounds of the pilot of the private jet asking Seto to turn off his cell phone while they took off. Yugi didn’t want Seto to go, but he knew he had to, so he said goodbye with reluctance.

“I love you, Seto.”

“I love you, too.”

The call was disconnected the instant the final syllable was out of Seto’s mouth. Yugi lowered his phone, looking at it with a resigned smile, but suddenly the words “Call Ended” displayed on the screen looked horrible. To Yugi’s surprise, tears filled his eyes and ran down his cheeks. He let the phone tumble from his grasp to land on the carpet with a muffled thud and buried his face in his hands. Shoulders shaking, he sobbed in the silent room, pulling his legs even more tightly against himself, his tears flowing freely. His sudden distress surprised him, but he missed Seto so much. He didn’t want to think about another two weeks without him.

It took a few minutes, but finally Yugi’s sobs lessened and he raised his head, wiping his eyes and sniffling. He looked down at his abdomen and wondered if that had been the cause.

‘Of course. Mood swings,” he thought. 

Embarrassed, he got up, picked up the cell phone, set it on the side table besides the books, and went to the bathroom, where he blew his nose and washed his face. When he lifted his head, he looked himself in the mirror, and wondered if he could handle this. The crying had come on him suddenly, and he knew he was in for more like it down the road. 

Yugi sighed and left the bathroom, returning to the chair by the window and picking up his book again. He returned to the chapter he’d been reading, and was soon engrossed again. 

******

An hour later, Yugi set the second book down and uncurled, wincing as cricks made themselves known to him. He got to his feet and stretched out, then walked stiffly across the room. He was hungry, and he needed a break from reading the baby books. The two he had read through had a lot of the same information and advice, but he thought reading them had been worth it. They gave him advice about the amount of weight he probably should be gaining, though he resolved to ask Kuribayashi for sure, advice about the best ways to get extra protein and fat in his diet if he needed it without resorting to junk food, urged him to exercise throughout his pregnancy, and explained things like false labor. He wasn’t any surer what would apply to him, but it was probably a good idea to learn it all anyway. 

Down in the kitchen, he made himself a turkey sandwich and a glass of milk and set down at the dining room table. He was halfway through when Mokuba came home. Still wearing his book bag, he greeted Yugi shortly as he passed through the dining room and into the kitchen, then returned with a glass of soda and a bag of potato chips. He slammed his book bag down on the dining room table, which made a terrific noise and made the dishware rattle.

“That’s pretty heavy, isn’t it?” Yugi asked.

“Yeah,” Mokuba growled, stuffing a handful of chips into his mouth before pulling out his math textbook and letting it thunk on the table. The text was huge, and even without it the book bag didn’t seem to be diminished much. “It probably weighs thirty pounds.”

“You shouldn’t be carrying all that weight on your back.”

“I don’t have a choice.” Mokuba crammed more chips into his mouth. “They load us with so much homework, I have to bring them all home every night.”

Yugi frowned. Mokuba was preparing for his tests to get into high school next year, and Yugi remembered them being difficult and intensive, but he didn’t remember having to carry this much book weight around. Had it really changed so much in such a short time?

“Do you need any help with your schoolwork?”

“No.”

“Are chips and soda all you’re going to have for dinner?”

“Yes.” As if to emphasize, Mokuba stuffed in another large handful.

Yugi frowned again. “You should probably eat something better than that.”

“Who asked you?” Mokuba snapped. “Damn, Yugi, lay off.”

Taken aback, Yugi fell silent. The teenager’s temper had been nastier than usual the past few months, and Yugi tried to be understanding. He knew Mokuba was going through puberty, struggling to keep his grades up, and had a super genius brother to compare himself to. Yugi himself had never been so rude or temperamental, but he knew it would be unfair to judge Mokuba against himself. As Joey had put it when Yugi had mentioned problems with Mokuba to him, he was “one of a kind.” 

“I can make you something,” Yugi tried again. 

“Are you my mother now?” Mokuba snarled, slamming his math book closed. He got to his feet, shoving the math book back into his book bag. 

Yugi shifted in his chair a little, trying to keep his stomach well from view. “You don’t have to talk to me like that. I’m just trying to help.”

“No one asked you to.” Mokuba swung his book bag onto his back, visibly bracing against the heavy weight. He paused a moment, glaring at Yugi. “Why are you sitting like that?”

Yugi was hunched forward a bit, arms together in his lap. He was tenting his shirt, blocking the view of his stomach. He knew, intellectually, that his bump, while visible when he was shirtless, had not yet grown enough to protrude through his clothes, but emotionally he was worried anyway. He shook his head.

“No reason. I’m just a little cold.” The number of lies Yugi had told in his life had been increasing dramatically over the past few weeks.

“Then go put on a sweater or something, jeez.”

“Mokuba, that’s enough. I’ve only tried to be polite since you got home.”

Mokuba turned away, leaving the soda glass and empty chip bag on the table. He stalked out of the dining room. Yugi sighed, relaxing his posture, then got to his feet. He cleaned up the table with resignation, though his feelings had been hurt by Mokuba’s disrespect. He hoped the teenager would grow out of it soon. 

“Baby, you better not behave like that,” he murmured under his breath as he carried the dishes and trash into the kitchen. 

He really did need a name. Maybe a baby name book would have some helpful names listed. He would have to pick one up when the next time he was out. He could try the internet, but an actual book would probably be better. Though it would surely be easier to decide once he knew what he was having.

The idea sent shivers down his spine. He had seen the face, heard the heartbeat. To know its gender would make even more real than it already once, make it his child to his heart and mind even more strongly. To give it a name would be tremendous. 

He needed to plan. He was already almost four months pregnant. He would have to get baby things, set up a room for it, on top of picking out a name and learning everything he could. 

Yugi trotted upstairs to the third floor and wandered around the capital I-shaped third floor, considering. The suite he shared with Seto took up an entire top ‘bar’ of the letter while Mokuba’s took up the entire bottom one. That left the long connecting hallway, which was made up of six bedrooms, four baths, two linen closets, a morning room, a study, and a tiny alcove that housed the attic access. 

Yugi stood in the hallway, trying to decide. Of course he would want the baby close, but with modern conveniences like monitors and cameras, that hardly mattered. He would rather choose the best room rather than the closest. The room on the left next to the suite faced the west and the front of the property. A giant oak stood right next to the window, and in high wind, its branches would screech against the glass, disturbing or frightening the baby. Or, worse, in a storm, break through. The room on the right faced the east and the back of the property. It overlooked the gardens and the small lake, but it was officially the morning room, and so wasn’t ideal, in terms of floor plan, as a bedroom. No closet, and the air vent was smack in the best place to put a crib. Next to the morning room was a linen closet, and after that, another guest room, across the hall from the study. This one had a sakura tree outside, not too close.

Yugi walked to that door and opened it. The room was sparsely furnished, with plain white walls, drab furniture, and sheer, tan curtains. Still, it had potential. 

“What are you doing?”

Yugi jumped and spun around. Mokuba was standing in the hall, holding a cell phone and glaring at him. 

“Just… looking in here.”

“What for?”

“No reason.”

Mokuba rolled his eyes and stalked past. Yugi watched him go, then sighed. He didn’t think he could deal with Mokuba right then. If his emotions were about to go haywire on him, he didn’t want to lose it and let something slip. Not to mention being around the constant hostility a teenager could give would just make his erratic emotions worse to begin with. It was time to go home. He hadn’t been to the Kame Game Shop to stay a night in nearly three weeks. His family knew of his relationship with Seto, accepting it to various degrees, but he still was officially a resident of the Game Shop. 

Yugi went into his room with Seto and started packing. Most of the stuff was stuff to stay, but he made sure to get his cell phone, the computer, the baby books, his wallet and keys, and shrugged into his jacket. He looked at the empty bed and felt the sadness rush over him again. Shaking his head, determinedly telling himself that Seto would be back soon, he closed the door on the empty room and left. Maybe constantly being around people would be better for him. 

Of course, there was the growing bulge to consider. But how big could it get in two weeks? 

Yugi’s mother greeted him happily when he stepped in the door. She hugged him and kissed him, nearly making him have a heart attack over worrying she would feel the baby bump, but she either didn’t notice or chose not to say anything.

‘Relax, or you really will have a heart attack,’ he told himself. ‘Stressing out like this can’t be good for the baby.’

“Welcome home, Yugi, honey,” she said, stepping back and letting him in. 

“Hi, Mom. I’m sorry I haven’t been home in a while.”

His mother smiled, leading him into the kitchen after he set his small amount of luggage on the floor in the living room. The baby books had been stuffed into the side pouch of the computer case, and hopefully would go unnoticed. 

Grandpa was at the kitchen table when they walked in. Mrs. Moto was the most accepting of her son’s relationship with another man, though she obviously worried about his choice. Yugi believed she thought Seto would break his heart one day. Grandpa accepted it as long as he didn’t have to talk about it. And Yugi’s father, who had rarely been around for Yugi anyway, pretended it hadn’t happened. 

“Hello, Yugi,” Grandpa said when Yugi walked in. “Have you seen Yami lately? There’s another piece of papyrus that’s turned up I wouldn’t mind him having a look at.” 

Yugi smiled, sitting down at the table while his mother busied herself getting him something to eat. He knew better than to argue with her, so he just accepted it. 

“I see him all the time. I can call him--”

“No, no, don’t bother him. Just mention it to him next time you see him face to face. It’s from the same area, but a different time, I believe, so maybe he can read this one. I don’t have it on me, at any rate.”

“So, Yugi, how are your classes going?” his mother asked.

They spent the next few hours catching up. When dinner was over and Yugi was up in his room, the baby books stuffed under his mattress, and on the computer catching up on schoolwork, he was surprised and ecstatic to hear the familiar ding of a message from Seto. He brought it up.

“Hi, Seto!”

“I wanted to tell you I arrived safely in London.”

“Good. I’m glad, and thank you for letting me know.”

“Why are you at the Shop?”

Seto could see the room behind him. Yugi fiddled with the pencil he’d been using to do math problems on the notebook beside the laptop. His silence might as well have been a large neon sign.

“What happened?”

Yugi sighed and told him of his conversation with Mokuba. Seto scowled. 

“I’ll have a talk with Mokuba.”

“No, Seto, don’t. He’s just having a bad time.”

“That doesn’t give him the right to talk to you like that.”

“It’s his house, not mine. I’m just a guest there. Maybe he doesn’t like me being there. I probably shouldn’t be, when you’re not there.”

“It’s *my* house, and you can be wherever you want to be. Mokuba is not going to treat you like that, regardless of whether he’s having a bad time.”

“Don’t start a fight with your brother over my sake. I’m here now, and I can stay here a few days. Maybe that’ll help.”

Seto shook his head. “You’re too soft, Yugi. He’ll hear from me.”

Yugi sighed, knowing that there was no real point in trying to change Seto’s mind. “Okay.”

“I suppose he’s still up. Probably on his own computer, too. I’ll talk to him now. Have a good night, Yugi.”

Seto signed off before Yugi could reply. Yugi closed his eyes and let his head fall back as he leaned against the chair back. He really hoped he wasn’t about to be the cause of a fight between the brothers. Not to mention that Seto didn’t seem to realize that yelling at Mokuba would just piss him off at being ‘told on’ by Yugi and that would just make it worse. 

Yugi opened his eyes and turned back to his math. He had no choice. He’d learn of the outcome of this mistake soon enough.

tbc...


	12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve:

“Yugi!”

Yugi opened his eyes, blinking blearily in the bright sunshine. For a moment, he was disoriented, until he remembered that he was home at the Kame Game Shop, and not the Kaiba Mansion. It was his mother calling up the stairs.

“Yes, Mom?” Yugi called back, pushing himself up on one arm.

“Sweetheart, do you want any breakfast?”

The scents of cooking food were wafting up the stairs and Yugi’s stomach growled. After an early dinner the previous night, he’d had nothing to eat, and he saw by his alarm clock that it was after nine. His mother must have held off breakfast to give him more time to sleep. 

“Yes, Mom; I’ll be right down!” 

He climbed out of bed, rubbing his eyes and stretching. As he raised his arms over his head and curved his back, his gaze fell on his reflection in the mirror on his dresser. His bulge was definitely visible now, and soon would be through his clothes, too. He smiled and rubbed his stomach, beginning to hunt for something to wear. 

‘Are you hungry, baby?’ he thought to himself while digging a sweater out of his dresser. The air seemed chilly this morning, and he knew that soon it would be the beginning of fall. His room at the top of the shop, a converted attic, was always cold in the winter and hot in the summer, so he knew he was right about the weather change. 

Dressed in some black jeans and a violet pullover sweater, Yugi made a quick trip to the bathroom, then trotted downstairs. He was just in time for his mother laying breakfast out on the table, where his Grandpa was already seated, reading the newspaper.

“Morning, Mom, Grandpa,” Yugi said.

“Morning, honey.” His mother paused long enough to kiss him on the side of the head before returning to the stove. 

Yugi sat down at the table and waited until his mother joined them. He began doling out portions, then tucked in, realizing just how much he missed his mother’s cooking. Seto’s two chefs and patisserie kitchen staff were world-grade professionals, but there was something about his mother’s cooking that outshone them.

He could be such a mama’s boy sometimes.

“So, how long were you planning on staying, sweetheart?” his mother asked. “You’re welcome, of course!” she hastened to add. “I was just curious.”

She didn’t fool Yugi—he knew she was fishing for details. She had her reservations about Seto and she didn’t want to see Yugi hurt. No doubt she had misconstrued this unannounced visit as being a sign of a fight between the pair. 

“Everything’s fine with Seto, Mom,” Yugi said, getting to the point. “But he’s gone away on business and I didn’t think I had the right to stay at his house when he wasn’t there.”

Grandpa shuffled the newspaper and disappeared behind it. Yugi and his mother both ignored him. 

“Oh.” His mother seemed flustered at having been caught so transparent. “That’s good, honey. I just—“

Yugi didn’t want to have any sort of conversation like this, but he assured her, “Seto and I get along great, Mom. You don’t have to worry.”

His mother blushed in embarrassment and turned to her food. Yugi changed the subject for her, asking about a friend of hers whose daughter had had surgery. Relieved to have the opportunity that was presented, Mrs. Moto was quick to begin filling him in on what news there was. The rest of breakfast was passed with such gossip, Grandpa leaving the table to begin getting the shop ready to open before the other two were done. 

Yugi got up to help his mother put away the leftovers and clear the table, beginning to start on the dishes before she could do it. She still insisted on drying, and they stood in the kitchen, talking some more while they finished the chore. When it was finished, and everything had been put away, Yugi noticed his mother giving him a particularly assessing look.

“What’s the matter, Mom?”

Yugi’s mother frowned and shook her head, but then turned back. “Sweetheart… don’t take this the wrong way, but… have you gained some weight?”

Yugi felt his heart jump into his throat. As he just stared at his mother, she flushed and looked mortified. 

“I’m sorry, Yugi sweetie, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Wha- What makes you say that?” Yugi said finally.

“Honey, I don’t want to start a fight--”

“No, I’m not mad. What makes you say that?”

Mrs. Moto sighed, but answered the question. “I haven’t seen you in a little while, so maybe I’m over sensitive to it, but… you look like your cheeks are a little rounder, that’s all. I suppose it’s all that rich food Kaiba would have.”

Yugi wasn’t sure if that was an insult to Seto or not, and he struggled not to snap about it. Reminding himself that his emotions weren’t to be trusted, he said carefully, “Maybe I have, a little.”

“I shouldn’t have said anything,” Mrs. Moto fretted. 

“It’s okay,” Yugi said, and realized that it was. At least for now. So his mother had noticed he’d put on the weight-- that didn’t mean she’d have any assumptions about the pregnancy. Still, he would have to tell her, and Grandpa, sometime. He couldn’t bear to cut them out of his life, especially when they wouldn’t know the reason, and he couldn’t conceal the presence of a child. But what would they think? How he wished he didn’t have to worry about things like this! “You didn’t mean anything by it.”

Mrs. Moto relaxed marginally and smiled. “Still, it’s good to see you have a healthy appetite. You always were a little thin, sweetheart.”

Yugi’s smiled back at the stereotypical mothering. 

“How are Joey and Yami?” Mrs. Moto asked. “How rude of me-- I never really asked after them.”

“They’re doing great. Joey’s still enjoying his job at the radio station and Yami’s… well… Yami.” Truth was, Yami never really did much except whatever interested him at the time. 

“That’s good. I’m glad Joey is enjoying his new job. I never really pictured as something like a radio DJ.”

“He’s good at it, Mom. The station owner really likes him-- he has a huge listener base.”

“That’s wonderful. Well, he is quite the talker.”

Yugi laughed. “Yeah.”

“Oh, dear, it’s almost ten-thirty. I need to get to my dentist appointment. Can you finish drying and putting away the dishes?”

“Of course. I wanted to do it myself anyway.”

“You’re so sweet.” Mrs. Moto kissed him on the temple. “I’ll be back in an hour or so. Try not to let Grandpa pester you about having Yami come look that those dusty old parchments-- they’re not going anywhere.”

“Papyrus.”

“Whatever. I swear that old man would leave the shop to rot over staring at those things through a magnifying glass if I didn’t get after him.” But Mrs. Moto’s smile was one of fondness rather than annoyance. 

She left soon after that and Yugi finished up the dishes before heading back up to his room. Upstairs, Yugi closed his bedroom door, then leaned against it with a sigh. He reached up and cupped his face, feeling his cheeks. With a frown, he crossed the room to his mirror, peering into it. He supposed his face did look a little fuller and he’d always had round cheeks to begin with. Yugi was not vain, but the revelation still vaguely upset him. Well, there was nothing he could do about it, and he would have to accept it.

Yugi turned to his suitcase and removed the books, curling up in bed and getting back to reading. He was determined he’d know all he could by his appointment with Kuribayahsi.

As he was laying there reading, he realized he’d felt some distress from Yami. Concerned, he threw the book aside and sat up, immediately pushing on the closed link. /Yami? Are you okay?/

//Yes, Aibou,// Yami responded. But he didn’t sound good. His mental voice was weak, hoarse, and sounded stuffy. 

/You sound terrible. Are you sick?/

//I believe so. I woke up this morning with a headache and a sore throat and it only got worse. Joey has used a thermometer and my temperature is 102.//

/Oh, no! Maybe you should go to the hospital./

//I’ll be fine, Aibou. Joey is taking quite good care of me, actually. He has made me soup and kept all the curtains closed and went to the store to get me some medicine so I can sleep.//

Yugi smiled. /He’s so sweet./

//Yes, he is. But don’t worry yourself, Aibou. It is just a head cold. I’ll be fine.//

/Okay. Let me know if you need anything and try to get some sleep./

//Thank you.// 

Yami’s voice faded out and Yugi shut the link again to help Yami rest without Yugi’s thoughts in his head. He sat back against the wall, frowning. Poor Yami, but there really wasn’t anything he could do. He’d check on Yami again later and hope he felt better soon.

******

Yugi spent the next three days with his family. He enjoyed catching up with his mother and grandfather and having family dinners again. He loved Seto dearly, but it could sometimes be a lonely relationship. 

His mother said nothing more about his weight gain, though Yugi didn’t hold back eating. He wasn’t going to chance his baby’s health over the fear of being found out, especially about something he would tell them about eventually, once Seto knew.

The baby books were actually helping to soothe him rather than worry him the more he read. Most stuff seemed just irritating rather than dangerous and at least he could try to expect things instead of being in the dark wondering. 

Anna called to check up on him one afternoon. Once he’d made sure of privacy, he asked her about Kuribayashi’s progress. The doctor had not called him, but Yugi had forced himself not to call the doctor, insisting on being calm when he could. Now that Anna had called him, however, he was relieved to ask for details.

“Kentaro is busy,” Anna said apologetically. “He’s been reading and researching anything he can get his hands on.”

Yugi looked at the small stack of baby books. “I know the feeling.”

“Good. Kentaro talked to his colleague. I think he gave him some bull about having a conversation with a fellow internal medicine about a hypothetical abdominal ectopic pregnancy and wanted to know whether it was possible, what to do in that situation, how to go about delivering one. Just for curiosity. I’m sure he’ll have more information for you the next time you visit.”

“Great.”

“And how have you been doing? All the details, so I can tell Kentaro.”

Yugi told her about the mood swings, about finding a room for the baby and stressing over a name, and even about his mother noticing the weight gain.

“Hm, you won’t be able to hide it much longer, so if you’re going to tell them, I’d do it sooner rather than later.”

“I have to tell Seto first.”

“Of course. There’s not much I can tell you except grin and bear the mood swings and everything else. It’s what I’d tell a female patient, too.”

“I know,” Yugi sighed. “Um, Anna?”

“Yes?”

Remembering what Joey had said, Yugi asked, “Do you normally home call all of your patients?”

“What do you mean? I care about all my patients, Yugi, but you’re different and not just because of the obvious. You’re very, very high risk, you know. I can’t stress that enough.”

“I know.” He nodded into the phone. “Thank you, Anna.”

“Give us a call if you have any questions or concerns, even if you’re not sure it’s something to be concerned about. I’ll check on you again between now and the appointment. If that’s okay.”

Maybe she’d read something in Yugi’s question. He was quick to say, “No, that would be fine. Thank you.”

“Have you been taking your vitamins?”

With a guilty start, Yugi realized he’d forgotten. “No.”

“You should start them tonight. Pair them with something you do every day, like brushing your teeth or with lunch, so you don’t forget.”

“I will.”

“Good. Okay, Yugi, I’ll talk to you again soon and see you on the ninth.”

Yugi thanked her again and hung up. When he lowered the phone, he saw a missed text message that turned out to be from Mokuba. All it said was, ‘Come home.’ Encouraged by the use of the word ‘home,’ he nevertheless was indecisive. More verbal abuse from the irritable teenager was not something he wanted to deal with at that moment. Yugi closed the message instead.

He got up and went to his bed, climbing up and settling down, then picking up the baby name book from the nightstand. He’d read a bit more, then decide what to do about Mokuba. 

After a few minutes, he just set the book aside and covered his face with his hands. He realized he felt sort of… in the mood.

He tired to ignore it, but the feeling remained. And Seto was still two weeks from home.

Yugi rolled onto his side and curled up, but the growing feeling would not go away. At last he rolled onto his back again, feeling hot and itchy, eager. There was no help for it and he arched his back, pushing down his boxers. But there he hesitated. This wasn’t a usual situation-- he wasn’t alone as it were. The baby would never know, but the thought of masturbating still gave him the creeps. It felt wrong somehow, dirty.

His body didn’t care. The need was still there, growing the longer he tried to ignore it.

Yugi finally wrapped his fingers around his penis and closed his eyes, beginning to fondle himself gently. He focused on Seto in his mind and drove thoughts of the baby away. He drew his fingertips lightly along his stiffening erection, shivering at the sensations. His bottom lip caught between his teeth as he wrapped his fingers around himself again and began to stroke. The fire in his groin was almost unbearable. Slowly he drew his hand up from the base to the tip, rubbing his thumb over the slit. A soft whimper escaped him and he pushed his head back against the pillow. 

A knock came to the door. “Yugi?”

Yugi gasped, eyes flying open. He yanked his hand from his crotch and hastily drew up his boxers. He grabbed the sheets and pulled them over himself, hoping his cheeks weren’t too red.

“Yes, Mom?”

His mother opened the door and came in. In her arms was a heavy quilt that Yugi used every winter. “It’s going to be chilly tonight, and I thought-- Oh, Yugi, I didn’t know you were trying to take a nap. You should have said something, sweetheart.”

“It’s okay,” Yugi said, struggling not to let his embarrassment show on his face. 

“I’ll just leave this here,” she said, setting the quilt on the desktop, “and you can put it on later. Are you feeling okay?” 

“Fine,” Yugi said.

“Okay. I’ll make some lunch later if you’re hungry.”

“Okay.”

Mrs. Moto left. Yugi closed his eyes and groaned with shame, putting his other hand over his face. He was so embarrassed as well as frustrated and annoyed about the fact that his need hadn’t lessened at all. He was still every bit as horny, but he couldn’t, not now. 

Yugi rolled onto his side, determined to take a nap for real. He’d wait until Seto got home. 

******

“Hey, Yug’!”

“Hi, Joey.”

“How ya feeling, pal?”

“Great.”

“Good. Hey, can I come over and watch a movie with you?”

“Where’s Yami?”

“In bed.”

Yugi glanced at the clock. It was only three in the afternoon. “Is he still not feeling well?”

“Nah, poor guy.”

“It’s been about four days, hasn’t it? Has he gone to the doctor?”

“Yeah. Doc said there wasn’t anything he could do except stay in bed, get plenty of fluids, stay warm, the usual stuff. Said it’s just a common cold and Yami’s just got to hang in there until it’s done. Still, Yami’s a beast when he’s sick. He’s driving me bonkers, really, so I really, really want some company. Come on, let me come over and watch a movie or something. We’ll have pizza and popcorn.”

That sounded like fun. Yugi was enjoying staying with his family again, but he missed socializing with his friends. Hanging out with Joey could be a welcome relief of the boredom that set in when his grandfather was out with his Egyptology buddies and his mother was with her friends. They’d gotten used to Yugi being there only rarely and made more social plans and he hadn’t wanted them to cancel anything on his account. So, he happily accepted the offer.

“Okay, I’ll be over in a bit. Order a pizza and I’ll pick it up on the way over after I check on Yami. Though he’s just been sleeping most of the weekend.”

Yugi hung up, feeling sorry for his dark half. Still, if it was the common cold, nothing to do except let Yami suffer. Joey was doing all he could to make him feel better, but Yugi didn’t blame him for wanting to get out of the house for a while. 

He ordered a large pizza with plenty of meat and cheese like Joey liked from their mutually favorite pizza place, then went into the kitchen to see what snacks they had. There actually was popcorn, as well as chips and soda. Yugi hauled it all out and set up the living room for the movie. Joey hadn’t mentioned anything specific, so he knelt down in front of the movie cabinet and searched through the titles. His father took movies with him on business trips to watch while he was stuck on planes, on trains, or in hotel rooms, and so had amassed a huge collection of Japanese and American titles. At last Yugi picked out two he’d never heard of that sounded interesting on their back covers and decided Joey could make the final decision when he got there.

Joey arrived a little later, carrying the large pizza box. “Hiya, Yug’.”

“Hi, Joey.”

Joey set the pizza box down on the coffee table, shucking his windbreaker. Yugi took it from him and hung it up on a hanger in the front closet. When he closed it, Joey was sitting on the couch, cracking open a soda can, the pizza box lid already flipped open. The pie was still steaming, releasing the wonderful scents of grease, meat, and cheese into the living room. Yugi crossed over and sat down on the couch. Joey held out the opened can to him and Yugi took it with a smile.

“Thanks.”

“What are we going to watch?” Joey asked, opening a second can for himself and taking a swig.

“I couldn’t decide, so I thought you should.” He lightly moved one of the two DVDs to draw Joey’s attention to them.

The blonde leaned over and studied the cases. “Hm… This one. I heard this one was good.” He held up an action movie. 

Yugi took it and stood up, moving across to the DVD player. He put the disc in and switched on the TV, returning to the couch and picking up the remote, flipping through the annoying commercials that always seemed attached to DVDs nowadays. At last the movie itself started to play and he set the remote back down, leaning across the table to snag a thick slice of pizza and drag it onto his plate. Joey was already halfway through one himself.

Yugi bit into the pizza, discovering that it was a delicious pie. The movie started and the pair of them started watching, munching on pizza and chips. But into his second slice, Yugi realized that, though the pizza was good, he really wanted something else. But what? 

“What’s the matter, Yug’?” Joey asked, noticing that Yugi was staring down at his slice while he tried to figure out why the pizza wasn’t enough. “Oh, no, you aren’t sick again, are you?”

“No, no, that’s over with. I just…Hang on.” Yugi got up and went into the kitchen with his plate, the half-finished slice and another full slice riding on it. In the kitchen, he looked around, trying to see if anything caught his eye. Not salt, or pepper, or cajun powder. At last his eyes fell on the sugar bowl and he reached out, drawing it to him. He opened it and lifted up the lid, taking up the small scoop and digging some out. He hesitated, then sprinkled some on his pizza. Setting the scoop back into the bowl, he picked up a slice and took a bite. 

“Yug’? Wasn’t that sugar?”

Joey had followed him into the kitchen in concern. Yugi turned toward him, still munching on the slice of sugar-coated pizza. To his surprise, it was what he wanted. The sugar tasted good on the greasy, meaty pizza somehow. 

“Yeah.”

“I guess not everyone goes for pickles and ice cream.”

Yugi nodded, understanding that that was what it was; a craving. Adding the sugar to the pizza sounded like a bad idea, but it actually tasted really good. “Sorry.”

“Hey, don’t apologize, pal. What the hell do I care what you want on your pizza? What’s so different about sugar than pineapple or caviar?”

Yugi smiled, then grabbed the sugar bowl and went back out into the living room with Joey. The movie was still playing, but neither of them cared to rewind it, just sitting back down and going from where it was. It wasn’t as if there was a deep and convoluted plot to lose. 

The sugar was what Yugi needed. Another two slices and he felt much better. And sugar-and-salt mixture had satisfied his craving for now and he filed that information in for later-- if he felt like he wanted something strange to eat, he’d try some different salt-and-sugar combinations. 

The movie really wasn't as good as the ratings had insisted, or at least that's what Yugi thought. He couldn't seem to get into it. It seemed completely two-dimensional and cheesy and didn't hold his interest. And once the sugar-laden pizza was finished, he felt restless.

No, he felt horny.

Yugi closed his eyes, willing his body to cooperate with him. Not now, not again. He'd been feeling horny off and on for the last few days, and this was certainly the last time he'd want to start feeling this way again.

"Yug'?"

Yugi opened his eyes and managed a smile in Joey's direction. "I'm okay, really."

"Are you sure? You're acting kind of funny."

"Fine, really."

Yugi shifted slightly to try and alleviate some of the growing tension. He leaned forward and snagged a handful of chips he didn't want to try and pass off his movement as normal. Joey was still watching him, damn it.

"Do you like the movie?" Yugi asked, trying to distract him.

"Yeah, I do. I think it's pretty good."

Maybe he saw something it that Yugi didn't. Of course, he wasn't sitting there trying to will away the beginnings of an erection. Even as Yugi munched on the chips and tilted backward to draw his legs up against himself, he could still feel the mounting hunger. Why did this have to happen now? He couldn't just throw Joey out. At least Joey had taken his attention off of him and was now engrossed in the movie again. Yugi struggled to follow suit, but he had no idea what any of the characters had said in the last three minutes. He glanced at Joey to see if he really was enjoying the movie.

He was. He was sitting with a can of soda in his hand, absentmindedly sipping from it while he watched. Yugi found himself watching the way Joey's Adam's apple moved when he swallowed and the way his blonde hair fell across his forehead--

Yugi hastily looked away. No way. Think of Seto, picture him.

He wasn't going to be home for eight or nine more days. That was over an entire week yet. How was Yugi going to deal with all this pent up frustration for a week?

He would just have to force down whatever creep factor was involved and take care of the problem in the shower tonight.

If he could hold out that long.

"Yug'?"

Yugi forced himself to look at Joey. "Yeah?"

"Pal, are you sure you're okay? You look kind of flushed. I didn't bring Yami's bug over, did I?"

Yugi shook his head. "No, I'm fine, really. I just..."

Man, Joey looked good right then. Yugi was just so hot. He could hardly think with the lust fogging his brain. He uncurled his legs and sat up straight.

"I just..."

Yugi leaned forward. Joey was watching him worriedly. Yugi's eyes traveled from Joey's deep brown eyes to his lips. He leaned forward further and tilted his head, reaching out to grab Joey's shoulders. He hauled him in and kissed Joey hard on the mouth.

"Mmpf!"

Yugi groaned softly, opening his mouth and kissing Joey harder. The fire in his groin was back at full force.

Joey grabbed his shoulders back and pushed him forcefully away. Yugi gasped in shock and let go, falling back against the armrest. Joey, eyes wide and breathing hard, stared at him like he was crazy. He jumped to his feet. "Yug'! What the hell?!"

"I'm sorry!" Yugi pushed himself further away, though he could go no farther, reaching up to touch his mouth with a trembling hand. He was horrified. "I'm sorry!"

"What was that?!"

"I don't know!" Yugi cried. "I'm sorry!"

Joey looked like he was struggling to get a hold of himself. He calmed down and sat back down on the couch. He picked up the remote and paused the movie. When he had set the remote back on the coffee table, voice gentle, he said, "Yug', look at me. What happened?"

Yugi shook his head rapidly with his hand over his mouth, then finally lowered it and said miserably, "I don't know." He told him all about how he'd been feeling the past few days, leading up to the kiss. When he was finished, Joey blew out a breath.

"Sounds like some crazy hormones."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yugi demanded.

Joey held up his hands and gave him a meaningful look. Yugi blinked, then turned away, hiding his face again. "Oh, god," he moaned.

"Hey. Come on, Yug', it was an accident. You weren't thinking straight."

"What about Yami?" Yugi mumbled behind his hands.

"He doesn't gotta know. It was just an accident, like you were drunk or something. You didn't mean it. You wouldn't hurt Yami for anything and neither would I. You don't gotta tell Kaiba either. Let's just put it behind us, okay, pal?”

Yugi looked up. Joey smiled at him tenderly. 

“Okay?” he asked again.

Yugi nodded slowly. Joey grinned, reaching out to pat Yugi on the knee. It was an innocent gesture, but Yugi wished he hadn’t done it. He dug his fingernails into his palms.

Joey got up and left to use the restroom. Yugi got to his feet and started cleaning up, hoping it would distract him. Thankfully he didn’t have a full erection, at least not yet, but the lust was still pulsing in his belly. Damn Seto for leaving!

‘No, no, Yugi, stop it,’ he ordered himself, dumping the trash in the trashcan in the kitchen. ‘It’s not Seto’s fault.’

Joey came into the kitchen. “Yug’, do you want to keep watching the movie?”

Yugi stood with his back to Joey and didn’t respond. Shit, but Joey’s voice sent shivers down his spine. He was twisting a grease-spotted napkin in his hands, shredding it. Anything to distract himself.

“Maybe I’d better go.”

“No!” Yugi dropped the napkin into the trash and spun around. “No, Joey, don’t go. Please. I’m sorry. Let’s watch the movie, okay?”

“Okay,” Joey said a bit doubtfully. Then he brightened. “Hey, your mom make any of those cookies I like?”

Yugi smiled and opened the cabinet, pulling out the large cookie tin his mother always put her baked goods in. Joey made a triumphant noise as Yugi pulled the lid off and handed the tin to him. Inside were Joey’s favorite cookies: chocolate chip with caramel swirls. Joey grabbed one of the large cookies and stuck it in his mouth. It was too big to fit even his mouth and hung half-out in a ridiculous manner while Joey rummaged into the tin for another few to take with him back into the living room. Yugi smiled.

“What?” Joey asked around the cookie, handing the tin back.

“You look silly.”

Joey reached up with his now-free hand and bit the cookie in half. Chewing, he said, “Yeah, well, these cookies are great.”

Yugi took one cookie for himself and replaced the lid on the tin and the tin in the cabinet. The two of them didn’t return to the living room, but stood in the kitchen against respective counters across from each other, eating the cookies. 

“Ahh,” Joey said with satisfaction once he had swallowed the last of his cookies. “That always hits the spot. Thank your mom for me.”

“I will.”

Yugi watched as Joey stuck his fingers in his mouth, sucking off the chocolate and caramel. Before he knew it, he had padded across the kitchen. He reached out, grabbing a handful of Joey’s shirt at each bicep. Aware of Joey’s eyes widening, Yugi stood on his toes and kissed him again. Closing his eyes, he parted his lips. 

Joey didn’t move. 

Yugi moaned and pushed himself against him, the feel of Joey’s hard body against his driving him crazy; the taste of him was in his mouth. His fingers flexed in Joey’s shirt and he tilted his head, pressing his tongue into Joey’s mouth. Joey stood completely still, not responding, and that finally permeated through Yugi’s lust-hazy mind. He broke the kiss, standing back normally. Joey stood back against the cabinet, arms at his sides, hands uncurled, expressionless, looking down at Yugi.

“You let me kiss you,” Yugi mumbled.

“I knew you’d get your head straight,” Joey said. “You don’t want to do this, Yug’.”

Yugi felt tears of frustration and shame fill his eyes. He let go of Joey’s shirt, turned, and bolted. He raced through the house and pounded up the stairs all the way to his room on the top floor. Dashing into his room, he slammed the door shut and then sank to the floor, beginning to sob. Back against the door, legs under him, face in his hands, he shook back and forth. He felt so ashamed. Could he not control himself? 

A few minutes later, Yugi heard Joey knock on the door behind him. He didn’t answer, no longer sobbing, but still hiding his face, hiccupping and sniffling. Joey knocked again, then leaned against the door from the sound of it.

“Yug’. Open the door, pal.”

“Go away.”

“Yugi, it’s not your fault. Come on, open up the door.”

“No. I’ll just attack you again.”

“You didn’t attack me. Yugi, you’re getting all mixed up ‘cause of all the hormones. Don’t blame yourself.”

“I should be able to stop myself from trying to rape you!” Yugi wailed, dropping his hands.

“Stop it. Open the door, pal. Now. Come on.”

Yugi shook his head, tears in his eyes again as he looked helplessly around his room. Even now the lust still burned under his skin, pooled in his groin. He shifted back and forth on the floor, pushing his hands against his thighs, but he couldn’t get rid of it. He slammed his fist against the door in frustration.

“Yug’?” Joey’s voice, worried. “What’d you do?”

“Punched the door,” Yugi said miserably.

“Yugi, open the door. Please.”

Yugi sighed, sniffled, and got to his feet. He turned around and opened the door, but looked at the carpet, refusing to meet Joey’s eyes. Joey stepped into the room, making Yugi step back.

“Look at me.” Joey didn’t wait for him to do it, but put his hands on his shoulders, bending to look into his face. “You have nothing to be ashamed about. I don’t know what it feels like, but I get you’re… well… Anyway, it’s just part of being pregnant… I guess.”

“I feel horrible,” Yugi whispered. “If Seto or Yami knew--”

“They ain’t gonna know. I’m not going to tell them. I told you, Yug’, it’s just between us.”

Yugi shook his head. Joey sighed, removing his hands from Yugi’s shoulders. 

“Let me try something.”

Yugi looked up. Joey reached down, cupped his face, and tilted his head as he leaned in. He kissed Yugi gently. Yugi gasped, then moaned, closing his eyes as Joey’s lips moved over his. Electricity shot up his spine and he reached up, gripping Joey’s shirt again. Joey kissed him another few seconds, then pulled back. Yugi opened his eyes dazedly, seeing Joey’s were dark, intense.

“Tell me to stop,” he said.

He leaned in again and kissed Yugi again, this time opening his mouth and pressing his tongue into Yugi’s mouth. Yugi moaned loudly in surprise, then pressed wantonly against him, fingers clutching his shirt. The lust spiked, but at the same time…

He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to cheat on Seto, or have Joey cheat on Yami.

“Stop…” Yugi demanded muffedly, while at the same time aware he wasn’t doing much to stop him at all. 

Joey tilted his head the other way, his lips sliding against Yugi’s delightfully before he devoured him again, harder and hotter than before. He pushed against Yugi, shoving him back against the dresser, which thudded against the wall with the impact. Yugi whimpered hungrily, pressed between the dresser and Joey. He let go of his shirt and wound his arms around his neck, clutching at him desperately, kissing him back.

No, no. He couldn’t do this. He wouldn’t.

“Stop!” he gasped, tearing his mouth from Joey’s. He unwound his arms and pushed at Joey, shoving him off him. 

Joey let go of him easily, stepping back, face serious. Yugi leaned back against the dresser like a drunk, panting and shaking, so hot and hard that he hurt. Joey, looking like he hadn’t been affected at all except for a faint redness to his cheeks, nodded.

“See? You don’t want to do it, Yug’. You’re just all worked up inside ‘cause of the hormones. You don’t want to cheat on Kaiba anymore than I want to cheat on Yami. You got nothing to be ashamed about. And you just proved it.”

Yugi slumped a little further, struggling to catch his breath. He was vibrating with pent-up tension and it didn’t help any that Joey was a good kisser. The taste of him was still on his tongue. Yugi bent forward and rested his hands against his thighs like he’d been running track and then let out a shaky laugh.

“Couldn’t you have proved it some other way?”

“Not in a way that would’ve convince you,” Joey said. But he sounded slightly doubtful. “Look, Yug’, I’m going to go. I’m not helping you any hanging around here. So, I’m going to go home to Yami and let you… er… take care of things.”

Yugi looked up. Joey was looking away, his face burning. Yugi felt his own blush wash across his cheeks. Still, part of him wanted Joey to press against him again, kiss him, and do a lot more than kiss. Wanted it badly.

“Maybe you should go,” he gasped. 

Joey nodded, starting out of the room. At first Yugi wasn’t going to follow, but he did, knowing he needed to show Joey out like a proper friend, prove to himself he wasn’t about to destroy his relationship with Seto out of some stupid hormonal surge. 

Downstairs, Joey dug his jacket out of the closet and put it on. He turned to Yugi at the door, face every bit as serious as before.

“Listen to me, Yug’. That wasn’t cheatin’, okay? It’s like ya got drugged. You have nothing to be ashamed about.” He stressed the last sentence.

Yugi nodded. “Thanks, Joey.”

Joey nodded and smiled. Then he shook his head and whistled. “Man, I feel sorry for you, Yug’. Sorry, pal, but I’m really fucking glad that statue didn’t get me pregnant.”

Yugi glared at him. Joey smiled crookedly again, then waved and left. Yugi closed the door behind him, then leaned back against it and blew out a breath. He reached up and pushed his bangs back, then glared down at his abdomen.

‘Baby, you are a lot of trouble,’ he thought darkly.

His body responded by throbbing. Yugi curled both fists, then thudded them back against the door and pushed away from it. He took the stairs two at a time, burst into his room, and slammed the door shut. Ripping off his clothes even as he crossed the floor, he shoved his blankets out of his way and climbed into bed, grinding himself hopelessly against the mattress. A muffled cry exploded from his mouth as friction raced up his spine. Bracing his upper half against the bed, eyes squeezed shut, he rubbed himself against the sheets, gritting his teeth. His breath came in pants as hot, dry friction sizzled along his nerves. 

He flopped over onto his back and grabbed himself. Free hand clutching a handful of sheet, his other hand flew over his erection. His heels dug into the mattress and he thrust up against his hand, teeth still gritted and bared and eyes squeezed shut, stifled whimpers escaping his throat. 

“Ahh!”

He was glad he was alone in the apartment. He was crazed, masturbating hard and rough, in a frenzy. He could still feel Joey against him, taste his kiss.

An image of Seto flooded his mind. Him leaning over him, blue eyes bright with lust. 

Yugi climaxed with a sharp cry. He slumped back down, panting and trembling, his seed cooling against his overheated skin. Once Yugi had caught his breath, he realized that he felt a lot better. He reached up with his clean hand and pushed his sweaty bangs off his forehead, letting out his breath with a sigh. After a moment he got up, grabbing his shirt off the floor and using it to wipe himself off. Throwing all the dirty clothes into his hamper, he padded over to his door and opened it a crack, listening for any signs of his family. 

The house was still deserted but for himself. Yugi paused long enough to dig fresh clothes out of his dresser, then went into his bathroom and got into the shower. As he stood under the spray, he sighed. 

Seto had to come home soon.

tbc...


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen:

Joey let himself into his apartment and shut the door. The apartment was quiet and dark, the only light coming in through the half-open curtains on the living room window. Joey walked across the entrance foyer to the front closet and shucked his jacket, hanging it up. Closing the closet door, he sighed and let his head thunk against his forearm against the closet door.

That had been one crazy situation. Yugi had all but assaulted him, out of control and not thinking clearly. Joey had never had any idea being pregnant could do that to someone, but he’d been truthful; Yugi wasn’t to blame. It had not been cheating.

At least not in his case. 

Joey sighed and lifted his head, turning around and leaning back against the closet door. He’d hid it as best as he could, but the truth was, kissing Yugi had really affected him. Even now he could still taste Yugi on his lips. He’d only just lost the erection. 

Joey pushed away from the door, then walked down the hall to the bedroom, opening the door. It was dark in there, lights off, the curtains pulled across the window, and humid. Yami lay in bed on his side, facing the wall, the covers pulled up to his shoulders. Joey stood in the doorway for a minute, smiling fondly at Yami’s back before he walked across the room and eased into bed. He leaned across and gently kissed Yami’s cheek.

Yami’s brow furrowed. His voice was scratchy and weak. “Joey, do you have to move so much?”

Joey sighed and eased back, sitting up. “Sorry.”

He got out of bed and left the room, closing the door again. The air in the room had been almost overwhelming humid and stale and truth be told, it stank. It wasn’t Yami’s fault, but the room smelled of fever sweat and sickness. He’d been running a fever off and on for a week and kept the door shut and window curtains pulled all day. He was also difficult to deal with. Being sick made him cranky, short-tempered, and intolerant of Joey’s presence. Joey had been forced to leave the room on more than one occasion for Yami snapping at him about moving or making noises. Or to leave the house itself when his playing the TV or music or laughing at something made Yami yell. Joey had not been kidding when he’d told Yugi that Yami was driving him nuts.

Joey shook his head. Best not to think about that. He’d done what he’d had to do. 

Or so he was telling himself.

Resigned, Joey walked down the hall to the linen closet and grabbed a blanket and pillow. He’d spend the night on the couch. Again.

As Joey sat on the couch, watching some dumb program he cared nothing about with the sound so low he could barely hear it, munching on chips and swigging soda, he felt sort of ashamed of himself. Here he was feeling sorry for himself when Yugi was pregnant and spazzing out over a wicked cocktail of hormones and Yami was burrowed under a mountain of covers in the bedroom, absolutely miserable. He could hear him coughing just then. 

Well, that wasn’t going to do. Joey set down the soda can, left the bag of chips on the couch, and went into the kitchen. He hunted down a can of soup and heated it up on the stove, then ventured back into the bedroom, knocking softly.

“Yami?”

His lover stirred, rolling over a little, blinking groggily in the semi-darkness. Joey walked over and settled down on the bed, holding out the soup bowl. Yami looked down at it, then up at him, and smiled a little. He pushed himself up against the headboard, accepting the soup. 

“Thank you, Joey.”

Joey smiled, leaning forward on his arm to press a kiss to his forehead, ignoring the humid dampness. He lay there on his elbow while Yami sipped the soup. When he was done, he took the bowl back. 

“I’m going to spend the night on the couch again, okay?”

Yami frowned slightly. He still looked pretty bad. Pale, dark circles under his half-lidded eyes, which were glassy with fever, cheeks flushed. But despite the frown, he nodded and said “okay” in his scratchy, weak voice.

Joey smiled crookedly, kissed Yami on the cheek, then slid off the bed and left the room. He put the bowl and spoon in the sink, then settled down on the couch with a sigh. He was doing his best to control his temper, and the feeling of hurt. Yami was sick, after all. 

Though he was rather mean about it.

Joey sighed and let his head fall back against the couch back, closing his eyes. He knew that some people just couldn’t handle being sick. He’d probably be the same way himself if it weren’t for the fact that he’d grown up with a father who’s idea of parenting was throwing beer bottles until Joey learned to fend for himself. Whenever he had gotten sick, he’d just wait until the old man had passed out drunk, steal from his wallet, hitch a bus ride to the store, and buy himself some medicine. Ever since then, he’d never let being sick make him dependent, not even now. 

Joey dozed off in that uncomfortable position before he even realized he was falling asleep. 

_Yugi stood in front of him, wearing blue boxers and a black sleeveless shirt. Joey stood up, vaguely aware that he hadn’t actually been sitting on anything. The area around them seemed amorphous. Once sort of resembling his living room, then Yugi’s at the Shop, again appearing as nothing but grayish blurs before becoming something else entirely._

_Yugi himself was constant, but a little fuzzy around the edges, like an old-timey movie trick to make the heroine prettier or the scene more meaningful._

_“Yug’?” Joey asked. “What are you doing here?” Though there wasn’t really a ‘here.’_

_Yugi smiled, but said nothing. Joey became aware of the fact that Yugi’s stomach was quite round, showing his condition plainly. He was very pregnant and Joey couldn’t remember if he’d been like that a moment ago._

_“Wow, Yug’,” Joey said, his voice echoing a little. “Maybe you should be sitting down.”_

_Instead, Yugi walked forward, moving with more ease than he should have been able to until he was right in front of him. His hands came up and rested on Joey’s biceps and Joey put his arms around him._

_“Kiss me again, Joey,” Yugi murmured._

_Joey bent down and claimed his mouth. One of Yugi’s hands slid up until it fisted in his hair. His lips parted and his tongue teased Joey’s, drawing a moan from him. Abruptly they were tilting and they landed in a broad, soft bed Joey had never seen before. Joey lifted his head, looking around at the shifting surroundings, feeling dimly unsettled._

_“Where are we?” he asked._

_Yugi’s hand came up, turning his face back to his._

_“Pay attention,” he admonished._

_He drew his mouth back to his. Joey kissed him back hungrily, even as he asked himself why. He lay against him, inching his hand from his hip upward over his stomach, which felt no different than usual to him, though it should have. Yugi moaned against his mouth, the sound exciting._

_Joey became aware of something pressing against his back. They were standing against the wall, Yugi pressed tight up against him and nipping at his jaw. He lifted his head and smiled up at him. Blonde streaks flickered in his black hair and his violet eyes flashed scarlet._

_“Yami?” Joey asked dazedly._

_“Don’t be silly,” Yugi said. His crimson eyes glittered as he smiled. “He doesn’t know about us, remember?”_

_“Us?” Joey felt lost in a fog. “There’s no us…”_

_“Of course there is.” Yugi rolled his violet eyes. “Did you forget?” He stood on his toes, his breath washing against Joey’s lips. “This?”_

_Joey closed his eyes as Yugi closed the distance between them. But even as a warm, wet tongue caressed his bottom lip, he felt something warm and wet wash over his shoes. He broke the kiss and looked down, realizing that Yugi’s water had broke._

_“Ah, Yug’…” Joey smiled, more embarrassed than disgusted. “Um, I think you should get to the hospital.”_

_Yugi blinked without looking down. His face was chalk white. Joey looked down again. The wetness gushing over their shoes was red._

_“Yug’?”_

_Yugi stepped back slowly from him. His white face held a look of confusion, but he didn’t look down. Joey saw his water had not broken-- there was no place for it to go. The red was flowing from his stomach. There was a gaping gash in his belly where it protruded from under his black tank top._

_“Yugi!”_

_Joey reached for him, but Yugi was still stepping backward with that same confused expression and Joey couldn’t seem to catch up. He lunged for him, but his fingers closed on air._

_“Yugi!”_

_Yugi abruptly came against something white. Joey looked down at him as he lay against the hospital bed. The doctor in green scrubs, mask, and cap held a bloody butcher’s knife in one gloved hand. The faceless nurse smoothed Yugi’s hair back, telling him it was going to be okay._

_A rapid beeping in the background became a steady drone._

_“We’ve lost him,” the doctor said tonelessly, setting the butcher’s knife down on a tray._

_“No! Yug’! YUGI!”_

_Yugi’s eyes fixed on the ceiling, the confused expression frozen forever on his dead, chalky white face._

Joey shot up, gasping. He looked around and saw that he was in his living room, lit by the still-on TV. His face was wet with sweat and his shirt clung to him. The remote had fallen off the couch onto the floor when he’d sat up. It was full dark now, the only glow coming from the TV.

Joey sighed and pushed his damp bangs off his forehead. He picked the remote up off the floor and turned off the TV, plunging the room into pitch black. He stayed sitting up, staring into the darkness. It hit home just how worried he really was for his little buddy, the guy he’d strove for years to protect, even though it was almost always Yugi protecting him. 

Joey shook his head, letting his head fall back again, but staring up at the dark ceiling above him, unwilling to sleep and risk having that nightmare again. 

He could only hope it would stay only a nightmare. 

******

Over the next few days, Joey played the nightmare over and over in his mind. He couldn't help himself. Yugi's horrific death haunted him, because he was worried it could happen in real life. His subconscious knew it even if he'd been doing his damndest not to consider that. And then there was the kiss. 

Yugi and Yami were so much alike, and yet so different. Joey loved Yugi’s sweetness, his optimism, his patience, but he had fallen in love with Yami’s fierce bravery, his passion, his gutsy, assertive, and sometimes sarcastic attitude. 

Different though they were, they were also so much alike, thoughtful, imaginative, and fun.

And so, what, he was feeling hurt by Yami’s bad mood, so he’d went running to Yugi?

He felt like an absolute bastard. At the time, he hadn’t really been thinking. Yugi had been so upset, and so crazy, that Joey had just done the first thing he could think of to try and fix it. To show Yugi that he was only under the influence of hormones and not thinking clearly. No more to blame than being drunk, just like he’d said. Even more so, because he hadn’t made this choice, it had just happened.

But Joey? What the hell was Joey’s excuse? Did it matter his reasoning? 

Joey glanced up when he heard a soft rustling. Yami stood by the hallway, wrapped up in the throw blanket from the bay window in the bedroom he often curled up in, his feet encased in the fuzzy white house slippers Joey had gotten for him one Christmas. He still looked pale and wan, but he was out of the bedroom.

“Hey!” Joey greeted enthusiastically. “You’re up!”

He hurriedly sat up properly, scooting over so Yami could join him on the couch. Yami sat down heavily, sniffled, then offered a tired smile. 

“Are you feeling better?” Joey asked anxiously. It had been two days since the incident with Yugi and Joey hadn’t seen Yami except to ferry him some food and water. 

“I feel a great deal better,” Yami said, and indeed his voice was much the same as usual. His face was no longer flushed and his eyes no longer fever-glassy, though he remained pale and very tired-looking. 

“Great!” 

Yami smiled again, then leaned against him, resting his head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry I was such a pain, mrwt,” he said. 

“You weren’t a pain.”

Yami snorted, then sniffled. “You have been living out here on the couch for the last few days.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t want to bother you.”

“You have been very kind to me, Joey.”

“’Course I have, Yami, I love you.”

Yami lifted his head and smiled, pressing a kiss to his jaw, all that he could reach. His lips were dry, but warm. “I love you, too. And now that I’m feeling better, maybe you can come back to spending nights in the bedroom. I don’t think the living room can handle you anymore.”

Joey looked around guiltily at the stacks of dirty dishes on the side table, coffee table, and even the floor. A half-empty bag of chips lay open and getting stale on the couch on Yami’s other side and a plate held a crust of a sandwich was pretty much a culture dish now. A half-dozen candy wrappers, an empty bag of Cheetos, and eight or ten soda cans lay strewn about. A pile of unopened newspapers, which was Yami’s thing to read, lay on the floor beside the armchair and Joey’s bedclothes were bunched up all over the couch. Truth be told, Yami was the reason the house didn’t look like a disaster zone on a regular basis. Joey had never outgrown that. 

“I’ll clean up. Are you hungry at all?”

“Yes, actually. I can make something.”

“Nah, not til you feel like your old self. I was going to make some Hamburger Helper. Sound good to you, or is that too greasy?”

“It sounds fine.”

“Yeah? What’s left that’s bothering you?”

“Sore throat. That’s about all, thankfully.”

Joey smiled, resting the back of his hand against Yami’s forehead. He didn’t feel feverish to him any longer. Maybe it finally had broken and Yami was on the fast track to being back to normal. That would be good. 

“Okay. You should tell Yug’, he’s been worried about you.”

Joey got up and headed in the kitchen to start on browning some hamburger. While it was frying, he cleaned up the trash in the living room and hauled his impromptu bedclothes to the washer and stuffed them in. After adding the rest of the ingredients to the burger and letting it sizzle on low heat, he went into their bedroom, opened the curtains and window, stripped and remade the bed, then dropped off the dirty bedclothes to be washed. When he came back out, Yami, despite what he’d said, was in the kitchen, doing the dishes. Joey rolled his eyes with a smile and went to finish their dinner. 

“Aibou is glad I’m feeling better,” Yami said after a moment. “He says his appointment for the next checkup is tomorrow at three if we still want to go.”

“Yeah, I do. Are you going to feel good enough to go?”

“I believe so. I think it’s over.”

“Good. Hey, whatever happened with him and Mokuba, do you know?”

“Nothing, as far as I know. I haven’t asked, though Aibou said he told Mokuba that he’ll just stay at his parents’ for a while. I don’t know if Mokuba ever replied, but of course Aibou is still at the game shop.”

“I ought to go over there and have a word with Mokuba,” Joey muttered. When Yugi had told them why he was staying over at the game shop when he spent more than half his time at the mansion, Joey had been pissed. Mokuba had never been a friend of his, even when he hadn’t been a murderous little snot following his brother around like some creepy Manson disciple, and to hear the way he’d been treating Yugi had really made him want to let the kid have it. Yugi had talked him out of it, but he still would like nothing better than to tear into younger Kaiba. The only thing better would be to tear into the older Kaiba, which he couldn’t do because Yugi had somehow defied everything right with the world and fallen for him. “I really want to let him have a piece of my mind.”

“So do I,” Yami admitted. “But Aibou would not appreciate it.”

Joey grinned. “You could always threaten to send him to the Shadow Realm if he doesn’t straighten up and that you’ll send him there anyway if he tells Yug’.”

Yami laughed a little. “I’m afraid Aibou might read it from my mind at some point.” 

“What’s that mean? I thought you guys could hide stuff from each other.”

“We can, if we’re conscious about keeping the secret. But even now we’re bonded pretty closely and I might accidentally think about it while he is… within earshot as it were.”

“Oh.” Well, that was a little unsettling. Imagine not being able to keep your thoughts to yourself. 

“Oh, I can keep him out if I want to, and him me. But, like muttering to yourself and being overheard when you didn’t expect to be, Yugi and I can accidentally let each other hear our thoughts when we don’t mean to. He is not constantly hearing my mind.”

Joey smiled. Sometimes it seemed like Yami could read *his* mind.

Joey finished making dinner while Yami finished up the dishes. They sat down to eat, discussing Joey’s job, the upcoming doctor’s appointment, and how well Yami really felt. Joey wanted to know, in so many terms, because he really didn’t want Yami to push himself into being healthy when he really wasn’t, but Yami assured him that though he was still felt blah and achy, he no longer felt sick. Joey was grateful to hear it, in more ways than one.

That night, Joey was quite happy to crawl into bed with Yami as normal. He settled back against the pillows and was glad to pull Yami into his arms when his lover turned into him. He pressed his palm to Yami’s forehead, but his fever seemed well and truly gone. Yami smiled.

“Maybe you should be a nurse instead of a DJ,” he said. 

“Mhm. Nurse Wheeler. Like Kaiba doesn’t give me crap enough.”

Yami sighed, resting his head against his chest. “Maybe you shouldn’t care so much about what Kaiba thinks.”

“Can’t help it, the guy gets under my skin like a splinter. And, hey, Mr. Shadow Games, you don’t exactly let what he says roll off your back either.” 

“True. Thank you, Joey, for being so nice to me when I was doing my best not to earn it.”

“You were kind of a jerk.”

Yami lifted his head quickly and Joey kissed him. He felt Yami smile grudgingly against his mouth and he happily turned it into a real kiss, softly nipping at Yami’s lips. 

A flash of kissing Yugi made him jerk back. Yami looked up at him in concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. You should probably get some sleep, though, you know. You probably didn’t really get that much real rest being sick all the time.”

Yami nodded and laid his head down on his chest again. Joey rubbed his arm lightly, gently kissing the top of his head. He and Yugi had done nothing wrong. He knew that. He knew it. But that didn’t mean he didn’t worry that he’d make a mistake. And it certainly didn’t mean he didn’t feel guilty about it. 

*****

Joey smiled at Yugi as the smaller climbed into the car. He turned around in the driver’s seat to talk to him. “Hiya, Yug’. How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” Yugi said. “Thanks for driving me.”

“No problem. You sure you don’t mind us coming along?”

“No. And I already let Kuribayashi and Anna know you’re coming.”

“They didn’t have a problem with it?”

“No. They know who you are, and that you know.”

Joey thought Yugi was being a little reserved and he wondered if he still felt guilty about their kiss. Maybe they ought to tell Yami after all. Surely, Yami would reassure Yugi, too, that it wasn’t his fault. Not Kaiba, though. He’d probably be nasty about it, not least of which because it was Joey that Yugi had kissed. Still, Joey didn’t want to mention it, either. Whatever the excuse, they’d still kissed. It was better Yami didn’t know. 

It hadn't meant anything. That, Joey knew was true. Just looking at Yugi and Yami together, he knew it.

Joey drove the three of them to the clinic while Yugi and Yami chatted, aloud so it wouldn’t seem like Joey was driving a couple of mannequins. Yugi still seemed a bit hesitant with Yami, too, and Joey wondered if Yami noticed. 

The clinic was a nice, unassuming building with a small sign out front. The three of them got out of the car and headed inside. While they walked, Joey found himself glancing at Yugi’s midsection. The weather had cooled considerably as it was late September and Yugi was wearing a bulky black sweatshirt and a pair of blue jeans that completely hid whatever bulge he had, but Joey remembered the nightmare and the red pooling around their shoes.

“What’s the matter, Joey?” Yami asked.

“Nah, nothing.”

The receptionist at the desk greeted them warmly, but though she seemed to be unsurprised by Yugi’s presence, she clearly kept staring at him. While they sat down in the waiting room after signing in, Joey asked Yugi about it. 

“She wonders why I’m here,” Yugi said. “A lot of checkups when I seem fine. Anna told me Kuribayashi told her I’m a hypochondriac and I keep insisting on more visits.”

Joey laughed and Yami smiled. 

“So, Aibou, have you thought about names any more?” Yami asked, too softly for the receptionist to hear.

“Yeah. A lot, probably too much. But nothing seems right.”

“Well, you still have time,” Joey said. 

“Hello, Yugi.”

The person who had appeared was a very pretty woman about in her mid-thirties. Yugi smiled at her and got to his feet, so this must have been Anna.

“That was fast,” Joey said, getting up as well. “Hi, I’m Joey, and this is Yami.”

“Pleased to meet you both. If you’ll come this way, we’ll get set up.”

They followed her down the hall to a small clinical examination room. It had the ultrasound on which they’d be able to see Yugi’s baby in person. Joey stared at it a moment, having some mixed feelings. It was one thing for Yugi to tell them he was pregnant, and even to see the increasing weight, but to see the actual kid on an ultrasound was a whole different thing. It was going to be really weird, at least.

“Okay, Yugi, you know the drill,” Anna said. “I’ll be right back with Kentaro. You two can have a seat,” she added to Joey and Yami before leaving the room.

Joey and Yami sat down in the pair of plastic chairs that were identical to the ones in the waiting room. Yugi started to lift his shirt, then hesitated and blushed.

“Um… I’m supposed to get down to my boxers so she can use the machine.”

“No problem, Yug’.”

“There is no need to be modest, Aibou, we understand.”

Yugi hesitated another second, then pulled his sweatshirt up over his head. He laid it down on the examination table, then got out of his jeans. He picked up one of those flimsy hospital gowns off the table and pulled it on. Once he had, he hopped up onto the table and sat there, hands in his lap. 

They chatted while they waited, and despite earlier, Yugi seemed his normal self. They didn’t have long to wait, and the doctor and Anna came into the room, which was pretty crowded with five people. 

“Good afternoon, Yugi,” Dr. Kuribayashi said. “And friends.”

“Hi, Doc,” Joey said.

“How are you feeling today, Yugi?” 

“Good.”

“Have you been taking the vitamins?” Anna asked.

“Yes, every day.”

“Good. So, you two are wanting to see the ultrasound in person?” she asked, turning to Joey and Yami.

“Yes.”

“Yeah, we believe him, it’s just, kinda wanna see firsthand, you know?”

“Of course. Okay, Yugi, let’s get this started with.”

Yugi laid back on the examination table and pulled up the hospital gown. Anna wheeled the machine over and sat down on a stool, picking up what looked kind of like a grey ketchup bottle. From where he was sitting, Joey could see just how much Yugi’s stomach was beginning to protrude now. When clothed, it would be all but invisible, but exposed, his stomach stuck out about as far as if he had swallowed a softball. For someone who had always had a flat stomach, this was a drastic change. Yugi would have to tell Kaiba practically the minute he came home, because he’d notice this change the moment he got a good look at Yugi.

Anna squeezed some clear, slimy-looking gel on Yugi’s stomach before putting the bottle back. She picked up the wand of the machine and smeared it through the gel beginning to run it lightly along Yugi’s stomach.

“There it is,” Anna said.

On the screen, the baby had appeared. Looking a lot like a miniature doll, the baby was in profile on the screen, curled up in a ball. Joey could see every detail of the tiny hands, little ears, and even the tiny face. 

“It’s sucking its thumb!” Yugi exclaimed happily, a big smile on his face.

“Yep, looks like it,” Anna said. She moved the wand around a little. “Looks pretty healthy to me.”

Joey glanced at Yami and Yami looked back at him. He could tell the sight affected him just as much as it did Joey. This was a real live baby, in Yugi. 

Yugi was a father.

tbc...


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen:

Yugi stared in wonder at the ultrasound, watching his child. He couldn’t get enough. He could forget everything else in the room but that image, but after a few minutes, he remembered that Yami and Joey were there with him.

/What do you think?/ Yugi asked Yami mentally without taking his gaze off his child.

//It’s… um… Aibou, it’s really…//

/Yeah,/ Yugi agreed, understanding what Yami meant even though he couldn’t find the words. /It’s really./

“Wow,” Joey breathed from behind him. 

Yugi finally turned his head and grinned up at them. Both looked floored, which didn’t surprise him. They had heard him say it, but they didn’t really understand until they saw it. 

“Everything looks good, Yugi,” Anna said, taking back the wand and turning off the machine. Yugi was amazed at how much the loss of the picture affected him. “Seems healthy and active.”

Yugi was ecstatic about the news. When he was home, by himself, especially at night before he fell asleep, he continuously wondered how his baby was doing. Without Anna and her machine, he couldn’t know, and while he knew obsessing about it probably wasn’t good, he couldn’t help but worry. He knew how big of a risk this was. He knew the odds were bad. And now that he was invested in this baby, that knowledge was like knowing there was something bad creeping up behind you, getting closer, but you were paralyzed and couldn’t look. It weighed on him. Thinking of it now was making a mild headache form.

“I’ve seen that look loads of times,” Anna said, watching him. “Would you like me to print a picture of the ultrasound, for you to take home?”

“Can you do that? Please?”

Anna smiled, moving over to a computer on a counter. “No problem.”

“Yugi, I wanted to talk to you about planning for the C-section,” Dr. Kuribayashi said, instantly taking his whole attention.

The doctor sat down on an exam stool, pushing his hair from his forehead. He looked grave.

“Is there something wrong?” Yugi asked fearfully.

“No, but the situation is very serious. As you know, I’ve been reading as much as I can on obstetrics, as well as having a few hypothetical discussions with colleagues and old classmates.”

“I really appreciate the trouble.”

Dr. Kuribayashi waved his hand. “The point is, Yugi, you will not be able to carry this child to term.” Yugi opened his mouth to protest, but Kuribayashi talked over him. “It’s not possible, Yugi. Physically not possible. Your body is not designed to stretch like that, and your organs are larger than a woman’s. Your pelvic girdle is narrower. There is no room. If you try, the baby will become compressed and possibly suffocate.”

Yugi felt tears sting his eyes. “What can we do?”

“Best case scenario, if you’re still determined to keep, is to do our best to monitor and hope the baby makes it as long as possible, but we’ll have to be ready to start the procedure at the very first sign of distress.”

Yugi looked down at his bare stomach, now visibly protruding to the naked eye. “How long do you think we can hope for?”

“There’s no telling. No guessing, either. There’s just no precedent of course. All we can do is hope for as long as possible. But, Yugi, even ‘close’ is still preterm, and that carries a lot of risks for defects and problems.”

Yugi bit his lip. He didn’t want to ask, but he felt he had to. “Like what?”

“Depending on how early, there’s problems with breathing, cognitive impairment, digestion problems, anemia, problems with regulating body temperature, slow physical development, stunted growth and organ development, and soft bones, blindness. Some or all of these can be continuous through life.”

“Yugi, it is a very dangerous situation,” Anna said, “but we’re going to do our best. And you should know that while there hasn’t been much progress in preventing preterm, there’s been leaps and bounds in the care of them.”

“Yes,” Kuribayashi agreed, somewhat reluctantly.

Yugi nodded. Again, he wished desperately that Seto was there. Maybe he could go to him. He wasn’t sure if he could handle another five days without him.

//I wouldn’t do that, Aibou,// Yami said gently. //If something were to happen, you’d need to be here, near Dr. Kuribayashi.//

Yugi knew he was right.

******

Yugi sat broodingly in the backseat on the way home. He rubbed his stomach idly while he thought. What Kuribayashi had told him had dealt a blow to his conviction he’d done the right thing choosing to keep his baby. Knowingly risking its life to possible handicaps and defects… how could he justify that?

More importantly, how could he handle that?

As he sat and thought, he realized it wouldn’t matter. He’d still love his child, like he did now. No matter what, he couldn’t abort.

Yugi sighed, letting his head thunk back against headrest and closed his eyes. He had hoped coming to a decision would make him feel better, but it really hadn’t. Whether he would still love his child or not, of course he still wanted it to be healthy and whole in all senses. He worried. 

//Aibou?// Yami, almost whispering, as if he was afraid to disturb Yugi, in case he wanted to be alone. 

Yami he could talk to. Anything on his mind, Yami would understand. 

/I’m just thinking if I made the right decision,/ Yugi said, opening his eyes, but not raising his head. He stared up at the roof of the car. /I was so sure, but now…/

//I understand, Aibou,// Yami said. 

Yugi struggled against the tears. This was horrible! He’d been so sure he wanted to keep his child, that it was the right thing to do, but now he wasn’t so sure. Could he condemn his child to these problems? Was that right, or would it be more merciful to terminate? What kind of decision was that and did he have the right to make it?

He felt comfort coming from Yami and he latched onto it. /What should I do?/

//I can’t answer that,// Yami said sadly. //It still has to be your decision, Yugi. Only you can make the right one for yourself and for your baby.//

/I just don’t know. I could be risking him or her to a lifetime of…of…I don’t even know! Can I do that? Is that selfish? But--/

//But maybe he or she will be fine,// Yami agreed. //You don’t know.//

/That’s the hell of it./

Yami had no response.

******

Yugi settled himself down on the couch in Yami and Joey’s living room. He hadn’t wanted to go home to the Shop just yet. He didn’t know when he would tell his family, but he felt like he couldn’t bring himself to until he’d fully come to a decision and knew what was going to happen. Though, it felt like he’d have the baby before he actually knew what was going to happen.

Joey was sitting in the armchair while Yami sat beside him. Yugi had the print-out of the ultrasound Anna had given him spread out over his lap and was staring down at it. The ultrasound machine of Kuribayashi’s practice was top notch and Anna had used some software on her computer to enhance it even more. The picture was in shades of gray. Yugi could see the baby’s head, the curled up body where the spine was visible, the legs drawn up toward the stomach. He could see the curl of the umbilical cord that had defied all odds and attached to his liver.

Anna had captured the baby while it was still sucking its thumb.

“Yug’, you know we support any decision, right?” Joey asked.

Yugi nodded without raising his head or saying anything.

“We’ll be here for you. No matter what. You just tell us.”

Yugi stared down at the ultrasound. He could see the almost-invisible slope of the nose, the fingers, the toes. This tiny person was somehow inside his body, growing every day. Magic or not, he or she was there, alive, unaware of Yugi’s internal dilemma, moving forward every minute towards his or her birth. 

Yugi shook his head. He reached over and rested his fingertips over the small form.

“I guess I’m more selfish than I ever thought,” Yugi said. “Because I have to keep it.”

“That’s not selfish, Yug’,” Joey said automatically.

“You don’t know what will happen,” Yami added. “You don’t know. So, you’re not selfish, Yugi. You’re making your decision in love, you know that.”

Yugi raised his head. Yami and Joey were both watching him, concerned, sympathetic, and earnest. Yugi found a smile for them. 

tbc...


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen:

Yami hugged Yugi at the side of the car, and watched as he headed inside. They had dropped him off at the Kame Game Shop after the ultrasound appointment with Anna. Yami still felt as if his thoughts were in a jumble. He’d believed Yugi the whole time, but to see it. That was a whole different matter. 

And while he knew Yugi was making the best decision for him, he couldn’t help but worry it was the wrong choice. 

What if this cost Yugi his life?

“Yami?” Joey’s voice, soft. “Come on, let’s go home. You stand out here long enough, Yugi’s gonna start worrying about you, and he’s got enough to think about right now. Come on, we’ll talk on the way home.”

Yami turned to the car and got into the passenger seat. “There really is not much to say. Yugi is adamant. And I am worried.”

“I know. Me too. But we met Anna and Kuribayashi, right? They seem decent. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes.” But that was only marginal comfort. He still did not trust either of them, and even if they were trustworthy, nothing else had changed. 

******

Seto frowned as he counted the rings of the Skype call. Six…seven…eight… and Yugi had not picked up. The call failed unanswered and Seto tried again. Ten rings and the call failed again. Seto pulled out his cell phone and called Yugi that way. Four rings and it went to voicemail. Seto hung up without leaving one and lowered the phone to his lap.

He was in Paris, having arrived late last night. With the time difference, it would have been five am in Japan then, so Seto had sent Yugi only a text at that time to let him know he had arrived safely, but had not called. Now it would be just before noon, so why was Yugi not answering?

Seto tried to remember his school schedule, then realized belatedly that as it was Thursday, Yugi was in class. 

Well, if Seto didn’t reach Yugi, it wouldn’t be long before he saw him. He was due to return home on Sunday. In slightly more than three days, he could see for himself what shape Yugi was actually in.

Because Yugi lying to him. He was sure of it.

He just didn’t know why. Yugi was not a liar. 

Seto dialed Mokuba’s Skype. He had, of course, let his brother know he was in Paris as well, but they hadn’t spoken in the week that had followed Yugi returning to the Game Shop. Hearing that Mokuba had been so nasty to Yugi as to cause him to leave the mansion had really pissed Seto off. 

Mokuba was supposed to be the nice brother.

He was well aware that Mokuba was having a hard time in school. He was also well aware of why. Sociable and friendly, Mokuba was popular, but he lived in Seto’s shadow. He was not as smart as his brother and other people were too stupid themselves to understand that that could happen. One teacher had even hurt Mokuba’s feelings by musing out loud how she couldn’t understand that Mokuba didn’t understand the concept if his brother did.

Seto had seen to it she was fired.

But that hadn’t really helped matters much. Mokuba was struggling with math and chemistry, two subjects that had been laughably easy for Seto, and having his brother come to his defense had only embarrassed him further. Especially since a few kids had taken it out on Mokuba that their favorite teacher had gotten a pink slip.

Still, Seto oftentimes found himself biting his tongue against telling Mokuba he only thought he knew what a hard time of it was like. Moody teenagers with sharp tongues had nothing on Gozaburo and his gremlin sidekick Hobson. 

But he knew that to do so would be no help. 

“Hey, Seto,” Mokuba said as he answered on the fourth ring. 

“Mokuba. Did you get my message?”

“Yeah, you’re in Paris. You’re still coming home on Sunday?”

“Yes.” 

“Good.” There was a pause and then Mokuba said, “I’ve missed you.”

Well, that pretty much took the wind out of any angry sails Seto still had. He sighed, then nodded. “I’ve missed you, too. You usually handle people for me.”

Mokuba laughed. “Have you killed anyone?”

“Not yet.”

“See, you’re better at it than you thought.”

“How are your studies?”

Mokuba’s smile disappeared and he sighed. “Not good.”

“I want you to hire a tutor.”

“What? No! You never needed one.”

“Mokuba, you are not me. There is no point in trying to ignore that fact, because it’s true. It is also no reason to be embarrassed or whatever it is you are. Numbers are not your thing. Words and pictures are.”

Mokuba was proving to be a great artist. He’d been introduced to a real art class his first year in middle school and was a natural. For the last two years, almost all KC related logos and art had been designed by Mokuba himself, which had proven to be a lot more creative than Seto’s habit of just slapping KC on everything. 

“Yeah, but--”

“No buts. This is important. School will be over soon enough and you won’t have to worry about math and chemistry anymore, but until it is, you’re stuck with it. So, no buts.”

Mokuba looked sulky, but he didn’t say no again. After allowing a moment of silence, Seto spoke up again.

“Has Yugi returned to the manor?”

“No. I sent him a text telling him to come home, but he said no.” 

Mokuba said it like it was Yugi who was being unreasonable. Seto just barely kept his mouth in check. 

“You haven’t seen him lately?”

Mokuba could read him as well as Yugi. He looked up and frowned. “What do you mean?”

“When I left, he was sick all the time. Now he’s suddenly better? Bullshit.”

Mokuba’s frown deepened while he looked thoughtful. “You think he’s hiding something?”

“Yes. It’s what Yugi does.” 

This was true. Yugi would give literally everything of himself to fix someone else’s problems, but his go-to move when something was bothering him was to sneak off and deal with it himself. Seto had seen enough of that behavior during Duelist Kingdom and Battle City.

“Maybe. But, Seto, none of his friends or family have said anything. If Yugi was sick, I mean, really sick, someone would have said something…right? He’s been with his mom and grandpa for a while. And Yami and Joey are really close to him.”

That was true, but not every serious illness presented with obvious symptoms. If Yugi was hiding something, he could probably hide it from them as well.

He wondered if that included Yami.

“You’ll be home in like three days and you’ll see,” Mokuba said. 

The words sounded good, but Seto didn’t believe them.

******

“Hi, Seto!” 

It was several hours later and Seto had finally gotten Yugi on the phone. Every attempt to Skype him had gone through without answer, but he had answered his cell phone. 

“Hello, Yugi. How was class?”

“Oh, okay. They’re really nothing special. I thought they might be fun, but… Well, I should have listened to Joey when he asked me how I could want to go back to school.” 

“You don’t have to continue them if you don’t want to.”

“I know. And maybe I won’t here soon. So, how’s Paris?”

“It’s a city. The only difference is hearing French instead of Japanese.”

“Oh, come on, it can’t be just like that. There’s the Louvre, the Eifel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe…” 

Yugi pronounced every single one of those wrong, but Seto understood what he meant. The terrible pronunciation sent an unexpected stab of longing in Seto for Yugi. He hadn’t for one minute forgotten about the impending bad news and the realization that Yugi was hiding something from him made it unbearable. Suddenly an idea came to him.

“You want to see them? The Learjet can be ready to get you in--”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant. You can see them, you’re already there.”

“It would hardly be an imposition, Yugi. You have a passport, it’s my private jet… I could be showing you Paris in just a few hours.”

There was a long silence. Seto had thought trying to emotionally manipulate Yugi would work, but apparently not. Which only served to solidify his earlier belief: Yugi was hiding something from him. He was not as well as he pretended. And he was hiding it from Seto. Why? What did he think he couldn’t tell him?

Unless, it was so terrible that he just wanted to wait until he was face-to-face. 

“Maybe some other time,” Yugi said finally. “I--”

“I’m coming home tonight,” Seto interrupted.

“Seto, don’t. You still have the Expo and--”

“Fuck that,” Seto snarled. “I’ll leave here--”

“Seto, please. I’m okay. I swear.”

“You’re lying,” Seto said bluntly. “Classes you hate and a shop that Yami could look after for a few days would not stop you from coming here if there wasn’t something else.”

“I don’t hate my classes and it’s not fair to just shove the shop on Yami without warning. Listen to me, Seto. Actually listen to me. I. Am. Fine. Yes…there is something I need to tell you, but it is not something that you can’t hear three days from now. Even if you hate people and don’t want to admit it, this is a good opportunity for Kaiba Corp and you need to be there. You know that, or you never would have agreed to begin with. If there was something pressing, I would have you here. But there’s not. Trust me, Seto, please.”

Seto sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. 

“Are you listening? I’m fine. I can look up how to say it in French, too, if you want.”

“I’m not in the mood for jokes, Yugi.”

“Stay in Paris. Eat a baguette, go see Monet, or something. I don’t have anything more to say about it right now.”

tbc...


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen:

Joey poked his head into the kitchen to find Yami sitting at the dining room table, a bunch of books scattered around him. He was reading something intently and didn’t look up when Joey padded into the room. 

“Whatcha readin‘?”

Yami picked up one of the other books and held it out to Joey without lifting his head from the book open in front of him. Joey took it and turned the cover around. It was a guide to child birth and babies, insisting it was a comprehensive step-by-step from conception to kindergarten on the having and rearing of young children.

“Oh.” Joey set the book down and dropped into a chair. He looked at all the books, eight in total, and saw they were all of the same subject. Yami had clearly raided one of Domino’s two libraries. “Any help?”

Yami didn’t answer for a couple of minutes. He was focused on the book, eyes running back and forth and a frown on his face. Joey drummed his fingers while he waited. At last he pushed the book away and sighed. Joey snagged it and turned it so he could read the heading. He saw that it was a chapter called Pregnancy Complications.

“Hey, come on,” Joey said. “We don’t know any of this stuff is going to happen.”

“It is best to be prepared, Joey.”

“Well, yeah, but don’t get stressed out. Yugi’s five months along already. I mean, I heard the doc. Yug’ ain’t gonna carry this kid all the way, but we can’t get all worked up about what hasn’t happened yet. Kuribayashi doesn’t seem--”

“Dr. Kuribayashi isn’t an obstetrician,” Yami said sourly.

Yami seemed to be determined to be upset. Joey knew he was worried, which for Yami came in the form of sullen silences and sarcastic comments. Since they’d been to the doctor to see the ultrasound a few days ago, Yami had really gotten quiet. Like Joey, he’d believed Yugi from the outset, but the saying that seeing was believing wasn’t a saying for no reason.

“No, but he is a doc and he’s gettin’ his info from an obsa--obstra--one of them. Yug’ told us that. Read your books if you want, but quit skulking around here all moody. Yug’s the one who should be all hormonal.”

Joey saw the temper burning in Yami’s eyes and he got mad back.

“Don’t look at me like that. You’re a damn doomsayer, Yami. You’ve always been like that.”

“I become prepared for the worst, Joey, because it’s the smart thing to do. ‘Winging it’ worked for your Duel Monsters deck, but this is the real world.”

“So, I’m dumb, am I?” As Yami opened his mouth, whether to retort or take it back, Joey didn’t wait to find out. He raised his voice. “No, shut up! You look at the world like it’s just laying in wait to stab you in the back, and I get it, Babe. You didn’t end up in the Puzzle on a dare. But just ‘cause shit went bad for you doesn’t mean it’s going to all the time. Don’t you think I’m worried? I am! But you’re taking this out on me, like you did when you were sick. Quit being such a fucking pessimist!”

Yami stood up with a jerk and stormed out of the kitchen. Joey growled and slammed his fist on the table.

“Yeah, that’s real helpful!” he yelled.

The bedroom door slammed shut. 

******

Joey, of course, was entirely a hypocrite about childish behavior when angry. It was almost seven and he was as hungry for dinner as he was mad. He slammed through the refrigerator and cabinets, heating up some microwavable greasy whatever and boiling some noodles. In his jerky, angry movements, he slopped water on the stove top, spilled seasoning powder and soda on the counter, dropped a couple napkins on the floor, and didn’t bother to clean any of it up. Out in the living room, he plopped down on the couch, turned on some mindless action movie, then cranked the volume up and ate his dinner.

After almost an hour, Yami hadn’t come out of the bedroom. Joey’s anger had burned out enough that he had lowered the volume on the TV, but he was in no mood to try and roust a grumpy Pharaoh out. 

It was dark and chilly and he wasn’t much in the mood to go out either, but the movie was over and he couldn’t even remember what it had been, and now a news program was on. Joey shut off the TV, then went into the bathroom. Sometimes he liked to draw a hot bath and then just soak, sometimes playing games on his phone and oftentimes just vegging out. Especially on nights when he and Yami got into a fight, which happened a bit. They both had habits that irritated the hell out of the other and neither was shy about speaking their mind.

Joey filled the tub, then disrobed and climbed in. As the heat started seeping into his bones, he sighed and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. 

The truth was, Joey, too, was stressing about it no matter what he told Yami. He found himself thinking of it randomly, twice in as many days forgetting he was supposed to be spinning for his listener base and allowing dead air on the radio. That was a huge taboo for the DJRB Station, and Joey had gotten the rough side of his manager’s tongue just before leaving that day. Which was not something he was interested in telling Yami about. 

He knew they were all troubled. There was Yugi’s health to worry about, and the baby’s, the future with a kid around that might have defects from its less than universal beginning, and Kaiba’s reaction. Five months in and Kaiba was still in the dark. He was going to be furious at best. 

Well, there was nothing to do but take it one day at a time. That had always been Joey’s outlook on life. He had gotten dealt a bad hand as a kid, and so had the Kaibas, and so had Yami. But they had survived, more or less in some cases, and had made due with what they had. This wouldn’t be any different, no matter what happened.

Joey opened his eyes as he heard a noise above his head. He looked up to see Yami standing in the bathroom, eyes stormy. Before Joey could even say anything, Yami grabbed his chin, yanked his head up, and kissed him hard on the mouth. Joey wound his fingers in a spike-lock and kissed him back, his free hand taking one of Yami’s and enfolding it. Yami shifted to sit on the edge of the tub and forced his tongue into Joey’s mouth. Joey imagined he could almost taste the muted terror Yami was feeling. He broke the kiss.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said.

Yami looked back at him, silent, but his eyes still burning. He kissed Joey again, shifting on the edge of the tub to scoot closer to him. And then he slid off and into the water. It was like a switch was thrown. Yami pushed him back against the tile, shifting around somehow and straddling his legs without really relinquishing his plundering of Joey’s mouth. Joey grabbed his waist and pulled him closer against him, then yanked his shirt out of his pants and dragged it up over Yami’s head, throwing the half-wet garment onto the floor. They kissed again, both of them fumbling at the belts, button, and zipper of Yami’s pants. Yami surged up onto his knees and the back of Joey’s head hit the tile a little, their lips mashing against their teeth. Joey tasted a little blood and he growled, shoving Yami up with one hand as he grabbed the edge of the tub with the other and heaved himself up enough for them both to get their feet under them. He half-crouched for a moment, yanking Yami’s sopping pants and underwear down his hips. He balanced Yami while he stood on one foot so Joey could yank his pants and underwear off first one ankle and then the other. The clothes were left forgotten floating in the remainder of the water while Joey straightened, looking Yami in the face.

A thin trickle of blood ran down Yami’s chin from his bottom lip. He carelessly swiped it off with one hand and pulled Joey toward him with the other. Their mouths met again and Joey pushed Yami back against tile wall at the other end under the shower head. Hanging from it was a shower caddy full of their shampoos, an old wash rag, body wash, and a container of lubricant, since shower sex wasn’t new to them. Joey reached over Yami’s head into the caddy for it.

Using the hand still holding Yami’s arm, Joey twisted him around and then slicked his fingers. He pushed two into Yami at the same time he kissed the soft spot below his ear. Yami’s hands were splayed against the tile wall and he pushed his hips back with a groan. It was the first real sound he’d made and Joey reached around him with his other hand to grasp his erection and stroke it. He stretched him with three fingers, then poured lube over his cock before tossing the container back into the shower caddy still open. He smoothed the lube all along his length, then lined up and pushed in, nuzzling his face into Yami’s hair while he listened to him whine. 

The rhythm was unsurprisingly almost immediately fast and hard. Yami’s forehead was resting against the tile between his hands. Joey hitched his hips up until he was on his toes and Yami’s voice echoed through the room. Joey’s own growls were muted by spiky hair, the slap of their skin a counterpoint. He squeezed Yami’s erection in his other hand and felt him shudder. 

It didn’t last long. Joey felt and heard the sounds of Yami getting close and he let go of his hip to reach up and grab his chin, forcing his head around and claiming his mouth. One of Yami’s hands gripped his wrist and then he was coming. Joey followed right after, gentling the kiss for a moment before finally breaking it. He rested his forehead against the side of Yami’s, the both of them catching their breaths. 

At last Joey drew back, then turned Yami around again. He wasn’t sure if any of the thunderheads had cleared out of his eyes, but his heavy-lidded gaze showed he was at least worn out enough to sleep.

Joey looked out over the bathroom. About half of the tub’s contents was now flooded all over the floor and Yami’s clothes were sodden heaps. If they didn’t end up with ruined linoleum, he’d be surprised, and he didn’t care.

They got out, Joey slipping and landing on one knee. Without a word from either of them, they got out the entire linen closet’s supply of towels and mopped up, draining the rest of the water, and then throwing the whole dripping mess of fabric into the tub.

Back in the bedroom, Joey looked down at Yami laying naked on the sheets. His lip was clotting and bruises in the shape of Joey’s hands were blossoming on his right arm and both hips. There was a scrape Joey could just see on his left calf and he thought it came from the faucet.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he lay down next to him and gingerly traced his fingers over his lip. 

“Don’t,” Yami murmured. He kissed Joey’s fingers, then pushed him down onto his back and shifted to rest his head on his chest. “I’m sorry, too.”

Joey wrapped his arms around him and rubbed his back. “I’m worried about Yugi, too. But you can’t let it get in your head so much. You always do, and look what happens. It works out. It always works out for Yug’. You and me won’t let nothin’ happen. Kaiba won’t either. No matter how much of an ass that dick is, he loves Yug’ and he won’t let anything happen to Yug’ either.”

tbc...

A/N: Reviews are always appreciated.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen: 

Yugi was pacing back and forth through his bedroom, which made for some short laps. He was unable to stay still, full of nervous energy. It was Thursday, and Seto would be home in three days. He had another appointment with Kuribayashi and Anna in about an hour, where he would get another check up. It was week 20 and Anna had called him earlier to tell him he could find out the baby’s gender at that check up, if he wanted. 

So, now he was fretting back and forth, having another thing to decide. He could find out what he was having, or he could wait. He obviously would have to tell Seto this weekend, but what did he tell him? Would it be better or worse if he could tell Seto what their baby was? 

Would Seto even care?

Yugi was so deep in his thoughts that he didn’t realize Yami was knocking on their link until his darkness did the mental equivalent of pounding his fist. Yugi stopped pacing and opened up his end.

/Hi, Yami./

//Aibou, what is wrong? Did something happen?//

/No. No, not yet./ Yugi told him about what Anna had told him, as well as his current mental debate. /I don’t know what to do. I feel like I can’t make any decisions anymore!/

Yami tried to soothe him. //I understand, Aibou. This has been a very unusual and difficult situation. I suggest that you make decisions for you, and not for Kaiba.//

Yugi sat down on his bed with a thump. /You don’t think Seto is going to take this very well, do you?/

There was a very long pause that said a lot more than Yami actually did. //No, Yugi, I don’t think I do.//

Yugi didn’t either, if he was honest with himself. He loved Seto to death, but the brunette wasn’t exactly easy-going. Yugi found himself wondering that if Seto hadn’t been away if he would have told him about the pregnancy by now or not. And that was not a good thought.

/Me either,/ he said weakly.

//You are going to your appointment with Anna in a little while, right? How about I come with you? Would that be okay?//

Yugi knew Yami was trying to offer him some strength and he loved him for that. He nodded his head and stood back up. /I’d like that. Joey’s still at work, right?/

//Yes, but until seven-thirty tonight. Something about some coworker’s goodbye party. I will come to pick you up.//

/Okay./

Yami arrived about twenty minutes later. Yugi’s grandpa was having one of his good days, so he was monitoring the shop entirely on his own. Most days, he opened the shop at eight and stayed on until two, then Yugi took over and saw the shop closed at eight, except when he had class, as well as doing all inventory and deliveries. If Grandpa was having a bad day, then Yami would come over and handle the shop a couple hours in both the morning and afternoon in a split shift so that Yugi would be able to take breaks. 

His appointment was at eleven and would almost certainly be over with enough time for Yugi to return as normal. He realized that as he got nearer to his due date, as it were, he wouldn’t be able to cover his part anymore. Not only because it would be harder to stand for long periods, but because there were no clothes made that would be able to hide his condition. Not unless he wore a full down parka at all times indoors.

Out in Yami’s car, Yugi started in surprise at the small blood clot on Yami’s bottom lip. 

“What happened?”

Yami looked confused, then touched his bottom lip. “Oh. I slipped in the shower.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.” Yami smiled, then started his car. 

From there, Yugi rode silently in the passenger seat. Everything was coming up to an end. He had to tell Seto, and then his mom and grandpa, and then maybe the rest of their friends. He just didn’t know how he’d ever get such a conversation going.

Yami was also silent as he drove. Yugi got the feeling that it wasn’t just to give Yugi brooding time. Something was weighing on Yami, too. Their link was closed again, but they could still sense each other’s emotions, which had alerted Yami to call him in the first place, and coming from Yami was a steady low buzz of unhappiness. 

“Yami? Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, of course, Aibou.”

“Don’t just ‘of course,’ Yami,” Yugi said, sitting up straighter in his seat. “You feel upset. What happened?”

Yugi didn’t think it had to do with his kiss with Joey. There was no anger in Yami’s aura or even awkwardness. He and Joey had discussed it again and decided that it was between them. Yugi had come to terms with the fact that he definitely hadn’t been in his right mind when he’d kissed him and Joey didn’t hold it against him. Yugi loved Joey dearly, but only as a friend, and the kiss had meant nothing. So, they decided to keep it to themselves and move on. 

The increase in his libido remained, but he’d come to recognize it for what it was and had a handle on it. He did the same with his emotions, carefully regulating what he said to others until this was over with. Though Yugi wondered if the fact that he was male had anything to do with how strongly he felt out of whack or not. He wasn’t exactly meant to go through this. And he didn’t have anyone he could ask, either. Even when he told his mother, he could not even begin to imagine having a conversation like that with her. 

“I worry about you, Aibou,” Yami said. “Until this is over, I can’t stop worrying about you.”

Yugi smiled a little. “I know. But I’m doing fine.”

“For now, yes.”

No more than that. Yami wasn’t talkative at the best of times, but Yugi understood him. And what could he really say? It wasn’t over yet. Instead, he simply patted Yami’s arm and then changed the subject. Yami didn’t protest and they talked about nothing in particular until they arrived at Dr. Kuribayashi’s office.

Once there, he decided to take Yami’s advice and do what he wanted to do. He had more or less being doing that anyway, in keeping the baby, keeping it a secret, and then trying to decide on a name. He hadn’t been able to pick one yet, so maybe knowing what he was having would help.

“Good morning, Yugi,” Anna said as she came into the exam room. “Kentaro will be in in a few minutes. How have you been feeling?”

“Good.”

“Good. Listen, I wanted to talk to you for a minute.”

She had pushed the ultrasound machine into the room, but she settled herself on a stool without turning it on. Confused and concerned, Yugi lowered the hem of the exam gown he’d put on. “What is it?”

“I’ve been thinking. I wanted to ask you if you would give your permission for Kentaro and I to make scientific paper on this. Entirely private of course.”

Yugi felt his heart skip a beat. “But--”

“Please, just listen for a minute. It would be entirely private and written only as theoretical. It’s not a big movement, but there has been some consideration towards alternative pregnancy methods. We may never know exactly what happened in your case, or how it could ever be reproduced--and I don’t think it ever should be--but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fascinating. The basis for a theoretical research paper only. We wouldn’t use your name, or anything about you except your gender. We aren’t planning on even presenting it as real. But I still wanted your permission.”

Yugi hesitated while he thought. They were going to great lengths to help him and not getting anything in return. Yes, technically, he, or rather Seto, was paying them, but he had a feeling there was a bit of risk for them involved as well, professionally. Plus they had never had to say yes. 

He pushed Joey’s assertion aside. He believed in the goodness of people, he truly did.

“What would I have to do?”

“You mean you’re saying yes? That’s fantastic!”

“You could have done it anyway.”

“Of course, but I want your cooperation, and for that I would need your permission. And it just wouldn’t feel right without it.”

Yugi smiled at her and repeated his question.

“Oh, not much more than you are doing. But maybe you could start keeping a more detailed log. What you feel during the day, physically and emotionally.”

“I can do that.”

“Great. Ah, here’s Kentaro.”

Dr. Kuribayashi entered the room. He smiled at Yugi and set aside his clipboard, drawing up the other stool in the room and fixing Yugi with a warm stare. “How are you doing, Yugi?”

“I’m good. I feel fine.”

“Good. Today, in addition to your ultrasound, I want to weigh you again and take blood and urine samples.”

“Okay.”

Once that was accomplished, Kuribayashi had Yugi settle down on the exam table again and studied the numbers he had until the blood and urine samples could be formally tested. Yugi noted this time that he labeled them as Yuki Koto. He almost laughed. It gave him what was actually a unisex name, but more often feminine, sounded similar to his own name which probably helped Kuribayashi remember it, and kept anyone from recognizing that his data was his and not a woman’s. 

“Yugi, you’ve gained a total of about ten pounds. You came to us when you were about three months along and had gained six and a half. That’s less than four pounds in two months. Target increase is between one and two pounds a week, so your weight gain has slowed. But you’re not too far under normal. At this stage, a woman should have gained around ten to twelve pounds total. But you were underweight to begin with and I would have preferred a woman of your size have gained more like fifteen by now.”

Yugi was underweight? His mother often went on about how skinny he was, but he had always thought that was just stereotypical mothering. “Does that mean something’s wrong?”

“No, probably not. And if that just concerned you, you’re not that far under normal weight. You are only five feet tall, forgive me, but you are a man, and you were about ninety-two. You should have been more like one hundred or so. You’re not unhealthy, but what I’m saying is, I want you to increase your caloric intake. Keep abstaining from all the foods on your no list, but I want you to eat more. I want you to have gained at least twelve pounds total since you got pregnant when I see you next.”

“Okay.” 

“Your blood pressure is a little high. You need to try to relax a little.”

Yugi nodded guiltily. 

“That’s all I have at the moment. Everything else seems good. Now Anna’s going to do her ultrasound.”

Anna had already gotten up during the conversation and readied the ultrasound. Yugi hiked up his gown and settled back against the backrest. Anna put the gel on his belly and then ran the wand around.

“So, if it’s being cooperative, today would be the day we should be able to tell the gender,” Anna said as she ran the wand around until the baby popped onto the screen. “Do you want to know?”

Yugi nodded. “Yes. I do.”

“Then let’s see. First, baby’s moving. You should start being able to actually feel that soon. It’s not as glamorous as some people think and you’ll probably mostly just feel like you have gas, but as you get further along, the more you’ll be able to tell. I’ll get the baby’s measurements here in a moment. And the position is just perfect.”

She looked more closely at the monitor, then turned to Yugi and smiled.

“Yugi, you’re having a girl.”

tbc...


	18. Chapter Eighteen:

Chapter Eighteen:

Yugi felt his heart flip-flop. A girl. He was having a daughter. 

“Is she--Is she doing okay?”

“Seems to be. I’m getting the readings now and I’ll be able to get an idea of how big she is. I also want you to stand up while I measure your bump.”

Yugi slowly stood up, unsurprised by the feeling of disappointment when Anna removed the ultrasound wand and the image disappeared. He removed the gown entirely, having progressed to a stage where he only felt a twinge of embarrassment standing in his boxers in front her. She measured him, then she and Kuribayashi left him alone for a few minutes while they did their calculations. When they came back, she was holding a printout.

“She’s a little on the small side, Yugi. Now before you get worried, that’s no cause for alarm, yet. At this stage, she should be about six and a half inches. She’s just a shade under six. So, Kentaro is right. Eat some more and we’ll check on her again next appointment. Here, I’ve got another ultrasound picture for you.”

She held it out. It wasn’t as amazing as the first one, because the baby had her arms down at her sides, so that all that was truly evident was her profile. But this time, in ink across the margin, Anna had written, “Congratulations, it’s a Girl!”

Yugi held the ultrasound with trembling fingers. A girl. He was carrying a healthy baby girl. It was so surreal that he could barely comprehend it, and he’d been living with this reality for two months now. 

“Yugi, Anna tells me you’re going to allow us to do the paper. I want to thank you for that opportunity. So, now, what I want you to do is to weigh yourself twice every day. Just after you get up in the morning and just before going to bed every night. I want you to catalog what you eat and everything you experience.”

“I will.”

“Now, you’re at the midway mark. Both through a full pregnancy and the second trimester. The increase in your weight is, hopefully, going to go up pretty drastically here soon. Your belly is going to get bigger. You’re going to probably start experiencing some back pain and heartburn. As we get into your third trimester, I want to increase your visits. Even up to two a week if necessary. We’ll discuss that when we see you next, after we get another measurement for your daughter. I want to stretch the appointment out this time. It’s the twelfth. I want to see you back around the twenty-second.”

“The twenty-second is fine.”

“Okay. Ten days out instead of seven this time. I hope when you get on the scales you’re at least one hundred and five. Now, I’ve been thinking about where to do the C-section. Mr. Kaiba’s private infirmary would have all the necessary equipment for the procedure itself as well as all the privacy we could want, but it would not have any the equipment needed for post-natal care. So, I’ve been thinking the best way we can do this is to deliver her at the manor and transport her to the hospital, without you--” He held up his hand on Yugi’s instinctual protest. “--so that it appears a woman had her on the way, which is not uncommon, and then we can put in the sutures you’ll need and monitor your vitals, and then you can join her in the hospital.” 

Yugi didn’t like that idea at all, but he could tell Kuribayashi thought it was best. And it really did help ensure privacy. But the idea of having his brand-newborn daughter transported to the hospital without him made him anxious.

“We would tell the hospital technician she’s mine,” Anna said. “I’ll be with her while Kentaro stays with you and makes sure everything is okay.”

Yugi nodded uncertainly. He understood what Kuribayashi and Anna were driving at, but the idea just didn’t sit right. Still, he had to believe that they knew better than he did. If this was the way it had to be, it was the way it had to be.

“What do I need to do to get the infirmary ready?”

“Not much. Gozaburo Kaiba always had a full hospital down there. All that’s missing is the pain meds and a couple tools, which I can bring. In fact, if it’ll help you feel better to know, Noah Kaiba was born down there and it went fine.”

Yugi fidgeted slightly at the mention of Noah. Undoubtedly, Kuribayashi knew what had happened to him, at least on this side of reality, and the reminder of his ultimate fate made Yugi feel bad. Still, the knowledge did sort of help.

“I suppose your brother must be climbing the walls,” Kuribayashi said. “Unless you have any other questions, Yugi, I’ve gone over everything I wanted to.”

Yugi shook his head in negation and got up. He dressed after Anna and Kuribayashi had left, then exited the exam room and went to get Yami out of the waiting room. His darkness was reading a magazine and he looked up with a smile when he heard the door. Yugi paid for the visit and then they left.

Out in the car in the parking lot, Yugi couldn’t keep it in anymore.

“Mou Hitori no Boku. I’m going to have a girl!”

Yami’s eyes widened. “You are?”

“Yes!” Yugi held out the ultrasound. 

Yami took it and stared at it for several moments before he lifted his head and smiled. “Aibou, that’s wonderful.”

Yugi broke into laughter and threw his arms around Yami. Yami hugged him back, Yugi noting that he didn’t squeeze as tightly as he himself did, and then handed the ultrasound back. He started for home.

“A daughter. Aibou, this is very big news.”

“I know! It’s amazing!” Yugi giggled again, then sighed. “At least I can drop about half the names I was thinking of off my list.”

Yami smiled. “Would you like to come over tonight and tell Joey?”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” Yugi spent the rest of the car ride filling Yami in on everything that he had been told. 

“I understand your concern about having her taken to the hospital without you, Yugi, but I believe Kuribayashi has the best idea.”

“Yeah.” Yugi frowned, but he knew they were right. 

He just didn’t like the idea at all.

******

Seto growled in annoyance as he hung up the phone. He’d been dialing Mokuba, Yugi, and Yami for the last twenty minutes and no one had answered. Where the hell were they all? It was just after eight pm in Domino. Neither Yugi nor Mokuba was in class and Seto didn’t believe Yami even had a job, outside of what he did at the Kame Game Shop. 

Finally he dialed the shop itself. He knew it was closed, but maybe Yugi was down there, counting the till or something.

“Hello, Kame Game Shop.”

It was Solomon Moto. Seto bit back another annoyed noise and asked for Yugi.

“Oh, Yugi’s out somewhere with Yami and Joey,” Solomon said. “Yami picked him up about five minutes after we closed. Haven’t you been able to reach his cell phone?”

“Evidently not or I wouldn’t be calling for him,” Seto said testily.

Solomon sniffed. “Well, he’s not here, Kaiba. I’ll tell him you called.”

Seto hung up. He’d probably hear about his rudeness from Yugi later, but he hardly cared. So, Yugi was out and about with the ghost and the dog. The idea should have made Seto feel better, since it meant Yugi was doing some socializing, not sick at home, but not quite. He wanted to hear him. He wanted to see him.

Seto picked up his phone again and called his private pilot.

Paris had a Game Expo for tomorrow starting at nine am. Seto was not going to be attending.

He was going home.

tbc...


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen:

Yugi looked down at his phone. It was vibrating on silent from Seto calling. It was the fourth time in about twenty minutes, and Yugi just watched it go to voicemail. When it did, he glanced up and saw Yami watching him across the table. It was just the two of them at the moment, just sitting down to dinner because Joey was running late. 

Yami said nothing, just held out a bowl of rice. Yugi took it, and couldn’t stop himself from responding anyway.

“You know, he’s in Paris. He probably thinks dinnertime is over, you know, it being so late. I’ll just speak to him later tonight.”

Yami still said nothing, merely served himself some noodles. Yugi knew he knew that defense was an outright deflection. Sure, Seto wouldn’t know they were having a very late dinner, but that was no reason Yugi couldn’t answer the phone. 

Feeling guilty, Yugi picked up his phone and texted Seto quickly, then set his phone down again. He looked at his plate and wondered if he was being unreasonable to Seto. Sure, Yugi thought he had a pretty good idea of his reaction, but he really didn’t know. This was uncharted territory. And it wasn’t as if Seto would know just by hearing his voice or even seeing his face over Skype. 

But Yugi just felt guiltier than ever the closer it got to Seto coming home. Not just nervous, guilty. He should have told him before now. The minute he knew for sure he wasn’t just crazy.

Joey finally arrived about five minutes later. He was grumbling about traffic, then perked up seeing Yugi.

“Hiya, Yug’.” He greeted Yami with a kiss, then wandered over to the sink to wash his hands. “How ya feeling?”

“Fine.”

“Yeah?” Joey joined them at the table. “Ah, thanks,” he added as Yami held out the noodles. He’d undoubtedly eaten at the party, but that wouldn’t stop him from eating some more. “So, what’s up?”

Yugi picked up the ultrasound from beside his plate and held it out. Joey took it and turned it around, then read the inscription. His mouth dropped open.

“A girl? You’re having a girl?”

Yugi nodded.

Joey grinned and then whooped so loud it echoed through the kitchen. “That’s great!” He jumped up and hugged Yugi. “So, she’s healthy? Everything’s going fine?”

“So far. Anna said she’d kind of small, but, well, she is my daughter.” 

Joey rolled his eyes and settled back in his seat. He gave the ultrasound back. “This is amazing, Yug’.”

“I know.” Yugi smiled brightly. He then told Joey about the rest of the visit. Joey’s expression darkened, but he didn’t argue against Kuribayashi’s assessment.

“Yeah, I guess that’s prob the best way you’re gonna pull this off and keep it a secret.”

The rest of dinner passed by with idle small talk. Yugi had a feeling that Joey had some questions, but was choosing not to ask. 

After dinner, they went into the living room. Yugi noted that Joey was moving a little stiffly, almost limping, and he was concerned.

“Joey, what happened to your leg?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, nothing much, slipped coming out of the shower. It’s fine, just a little bruised. Don’t worry about it, Yug’.”

Yami had said he’d slipped himself and that was why he had a split lip. For a second, Yugi was confused, looking over at Yami who looked back at him steadily. Then the pieces clicked into place for Yugi and he blushed furiously. He quickly turned on their TV, flipping to a movie marathon channel.

Joey and Yami seemed to get into the current movie, but Yugi was distracted. He kept glancing at the phone resting on the armrest, and finally he picked it up, seeing a message from Seto.

**Why are you not answering?**

Yugi hit reply and typed back. **I did reply. I told you, I was eating dinner with Yami and Joey. It was late because Joey had a work party. Now we’re watching a movie. Shouldn’t you be getting ready for the Expo tomorrow?**

**I don’t need to prepare for a Game Expo. How are you feeling?**

Yugi smiled a little at the phone as he replied. **Fine. I keep telling you, I’m fine, Seto. You’ll see on Sunday that I’m not lying. Je vais bien. See? I said I’d find out how to say it in French.J**

There was no reply. Yugi watched the phone for several minutes, but nothing. Had he pissed Seto off? Maybe Seto had gotten a late lunch, just like they had a late dinner. It was around two in the afternoon there. Or maybe one of his staff that had accompanied him on this promotion tour had had a question.

Yugi set the phone down on the armrest and looked up. Yami was watching him. Joey seemed oblivious, but Yami wasn’t. 

/It’s nothing,/ Yugi said. /Really, Yami. Stop staring at me./

Yami turned his face back to the TV. Yugi shifted in the armchair.

/I’m sorry./

//It’s okay, Aibou. This is a stressful time and I shouldn’t pry. I am sorry.//

Yugi sighed and rested his forehead in one hand, still looking down at the silent cell. /I don’t want to tell Seto over the phone, so every time he asks me if I’m okay and I say yes, he thinks I’m lying./

//I’m not surprised, Yugi. You were just overcoming what seemed like the beginning of an alarming illness when he left and now you are suddenly feeling better without explanation. He’s worried.//

Yugi smiled a little without lifting his head. /He is./

//He will be home on Sunday, right? How do you want to tell him?//

/I don’t know,/ Yugi admitted. /You can’t really see it because of my sweater, but I look like I ate a whole cantaloupe or something now. I’ll have to tell him immediately. But I just don’t know how./

//Kaiba likes forthrightness,// Yami said. //I suppose…just tell him. Hold the ultrasound out to him and tell him.// 

Yugi nodded without lifting his head. He was idly playing with the phone on the armrest with his free hand, waiting for the screen to light up with a new message, but there was nothing. What was Seto doing? 

******

That next day, Yugi decided to move back to the Kaiba Manor in preparation for Seto’s return on Sunday. The previous night, Seto hadn’t responded until almost an hour later, when Yugi was already home at the Kame Game Shop. All he had said was that he would see Yugi soon and to have a good night. So, he was still sure Yugi was lying to him and was mad about it. 

He was about to get madder.

Mokuba greeted Yugi a little awkwardly over dinner. He hadn’t ever actually said he was sorry for his nastiness, nor did Yugi really expect him to apologize. For one thing, Mokuba was becoming more like his beloved big brother the older he got, even if neither of them could see it. For another, he was still a moody teenager, and a few weeks hadn’t changed that. Probably he thought Yugi was being too sensitive or he was ashamed of himself and didn’t want to admit it. Yugi wasn’t interested in finding out. And he forgave Mokuba anyway.

“So…you’re doing okay?” Mokuba asked, openly staring at Yugi as they settled down to eat. 

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“So, Dr. Kuribayashi never found out what was wrong?” He sounded surprised. 

Yugi hesitated, then said, “We have a pretty good idea.”

Mokuba frowned and said, “You don’t want to tell me?”

“It’s…It’s not life-threatening. I kind of want to talk to Seto first. How was school?”

Topic changed to something that directly affected him, Mokuba glared at the floor. “Seto wants me to hire a tutor.”

“It might be a good idea. I always hated math. I almost failed it.”

Mokuba looked up. “You did?”

“Yes.”

“But you were valedictorian!”

Yugi laughed. “Only because Seto graduated early. And because Mom made me work my butt off senior year. Really, I don’t even know why I was picked. Maybe because I was sort of famous.” Yugi frowned slightly because he didn’t like that idea. “But I know I would have had a tutor if we could have afforded it. You should get one, Mokuba. There’s nothing wrong with it. Everyone has their own strengths, you know that.”

Mokuba didn’t respond. Deciding not to push it, Yugi changed the subject to Mokuba’s favorite subject, art. He asked Mokuba to show him his latest homework project and, somewhat bashfully, Mokuba brought him a bust portrait of beautiful woman with brown hair and blue eyes. The picture was almost lifelike.

“Wow, this is amazing. You should show Seto when he gets home.”

Mokuba looked down at the dining room table. “No, I’m not going to.”

“What? Why not? Seto thinks you’re really good at art, that’s why he made you the Creative Director for Kaiba Corp in addition to Vice President.”

“It’s Mom.”

Shocked, Yugi looked back at the drawing. “This is your mother?”

Mokuba nodded, still looking at the table. “Don’t tell Seto. A few weeks ago, I used some of Kaiba Corp’s research resources to learn more about our parents. It’s…It’s been ten years this year that we went to the orphanage. I don’t remember them, either of them. And Seto won’t talk about them. Anyway, Yamato found this. It’s Mom’s graduation portrait.” 

Mokuba reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and held out a snapshot. It was a credit card-sized copy of a photograph of the young woman Mokuba had drawn. She was wearing a traditional black hakama with sakura flowers over a sakura-pink kimono, her hair done up with more sakura-shaped decorations. She was even standing beneath a blossoming sakura tree. Seto had inherited her coloring and her stunning looks. A small logo on the bottom left corner indicated the photo had been done by some studio, which was probably where Yamato had obtained a copy from.

“She’s beautiful,” Yugi said. 

Mokuba smiled faintly. He took the snapshot back and put it back in his wallet. “Don’t tell Seto about it. You know how he is.”

Yes, Yugi knew exactly how Seto was. 

He promised.

tbc...

A/N: One of my great disappointments with the show was the lack of background on the Kaiba brothers.


End file.
